Changes in Alcohol, Cannabis, and Tobacco Use Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic in Adolescents in Catalonia: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

This study analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco use among adolescents aged 14–19 in Central Catalonia across three periods. Data were obtained from two waves of the DESKcohort project. The first wave (n = 4641) was pre-COVID-19 and the second wave was divided into two phases: post-COVID-19 with restrictions (n = 3478) and post-COVID-19 without restrictions (n = 2900). The prevalence of monthly binge drinking, cannabis use in the last 30 days, and daily tobacco use was calculated. Poisson regression models estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) comparing two post-pandemic phases to the pre-pandemic baseline. Binge drinking increased during the restrictions among girls [aPR = 1.5 (95%CI: 1.1–2.1)] and boys [aPR = 1.7 (95%CI: 1.3–2.3)]. Cannabis use decreased during restrictions and remained low post-pandemic, especially among girls [aPR = 0.6 (95%CI: 0.5–0.8)] and boys in the 4th Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE) [aPR = 0.4 (95%CI: 0.3–0.6)], and girls in the 2nd Post-Compulsory Secondary Education/Intermediate-Level Training Cycles (PCSE/ILTC) [aPR = 0.7 (95%CI: 0.6–0.9)]. Daily tobacco use also dropped among boys in the 4th year of CSE [aPR = 0.5 (95%CI: 0.3–0.7)] and girls in the 2nd year of PCSE/ILTC [aPR = 0.7 (95%CI: 0.6–0.9)]. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique opportunity to reassess patterns of adolescent substance use in a context of sudden social disruption. The findings highlight the need to denormalize alcohol and tobacco use and promote healthier adolescent behavior through education.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Future
Published
2025-08-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/future3030015
Primary Topic
COVID-19 and Mental Health
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Changes in Alcohol, Cannabis, and Tobacco Use Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic in Adolescents in Catalonia: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Marina Bosque‐Prous, Brenda Robles, Katherine Pérez, Judit Rogés et al.
2 links
Future
COVID-19 and Mental Health
article

Changes in Alcohol, Cannabis, and Tobacco Use Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic in Adolescents in Catalonia: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Marina Bosque‐Prous, Brenda Robles, Katherine Pérez, Judit Rogés, Carmen Vives‐Cases, Albert Espelt, Cinta Folch, Inmaculada Mateo Rodríguez, Esteve Fernández, Helena González-Casals, Juan Miguel Guerras, Xavier Continente, Montse Bartrolí, María José López
article en

Abstract

This study analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco use among adolescents aged 14–19 in Central Catalonia across three periods. Data were obtained from two waves of the DESKcohort project. The first wave (n = 4641) was pre-COVID-19 and the second wave was divided into two phases: post-COVID-19 with restrictions (n = 3478) and post-COVID-19 without restrictions (n = 2900). The prevalence of monthly binge drinking, cannabis use in the last 30 days, and daily tobacco use was calculated. Poisson regression models estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) comparing two post-pandemic phases to the pre-pandemic baseline. Binge drinking increased during the restrictions among girls [aPR = 1.5 (95%CI: 1.1–2.1)] and boys [aPR = 1.7 (95%CI: 1.3–2.3)]. Cannabis use decreased during restrictions and remained low post-pandemic, especially among girls [aPR = 0.6 (95%CI: 0.5–0.8)] and boys in the 4th Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE) [aPR = 0.4 (95%CI: 0.3–0.6)], and girls in the 2nd Post-Compulsory Secondary Education/Intermediate-Level Training Cycles (PCSE/ILTC) [aPR = 0.7 (95%CI: 0.6–0.9)]. Daily tobacco use also dropped among boys in the 4th year of CSE [aPR = 0.5 (95%CI: 0.3–0.7)] and girls in the 2nd year of PCSE/ILTC [aPR = 0.7 (95%CI: 0.6–0.9)]. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique opportunity to reassess patterns of adolescent substance use in a context of sudden social disruption. The findings highlight the need to denormalize alcohol and tobacco use and promote healthier adolescent behavior through education.

FutureVol. 3(3)
Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya (ES), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES), Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (ES), Generalitat de Catalunya (ES), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (ES), Universitat de Girona (ES), Basque Government (ES), Government of Spain (ES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES), Hospital de Sant Pau (ES), Bellvitge University Hospital (ES), Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (ES), Hospital Universitari Sant Joan D'Alacant (ES), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (ES), Centro Nacional de Epidemiología (ES), Institut Català d'Oncologia (ES), Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol (ES), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (ES), Universitat Rovira i Virgili (ES), Andalusian School of Public Health (ES)
De La Salle University, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Plan Nacional sobre Drogas
Openalex Percentile: Top 72%
COVID-19 and Mental Health
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.