Alcohol and energy drinks consumption in students of the University of Buenos Aires before and during the first year of COVID-19 lockdown

Abstract

Alcohol consumption (AC) can induce several negative consequences and is highly prevalent in university students (US). On the other hand, there are different factors that can promote an increase in AC, such as the intake of other beverages (e.g., energy drinks, ED) as well as social isolation (e.g., COVID-19 lockdown). Thus, the aim of this work was to evaluate the alcohol consumption pattern and the potential impact of ED intake and lockdown in students from the University of Buenos Aires.A sample of 1776 US completed an online survey that assessed the amount and frequency of alcohol and ED consumption before and during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic.Results showed that students´ AC was highly prevalent both before and during the lockdown. In addition, it was observed that men consumed more alcohol than women. When comparing both time periods, the amount and frequency of AC decreased during lockdown. On the other hand, few US consume ED, either alone or in combination with alcohol, and during lockdown its consumption decreased even more. In conclusion, this study suggests that AC is highly prevalent in US, which is worrying given the negative consequences associated with it. Furthermore, factors such as ED intake did not promote higher AC, whereas lockdown decreased the consumption of this substance. Together, data suggest that although a decrease in social events seems to be an effective tool to avoid AC, people should be advised that solitary drinking might increase the risk of alcohol disorders.