The impact of a 24-hour syringe dispensing machine on a face-to-face needle and syringe program and targeted primary healthcare clinic.

OBJECTIVE: Automatic syringe dispensing machines (ADM) have become an important adjunct to Australia's needle and syringe programs (NSP). However, concerns that they reduce face-to-face contact with health staff and other health interventions remain. We examined changes in the number of needle/syringes dispensed at an ADM and occasions of service at a co-located face-to-face NSP and targeted primary healthcare clinic during the first wave of COVID-19 restrictions. METHODS: We reviewed data from an inner-city harm reduction program during the study period of April 2020 to March 2021 compared to the previous year. Multivariable linear regression models were used to estimate the association between occasions of service and equipment distribution. RESULTS: ADM-dispensed equipment increased significantly by 41.1%, while face-to-face NSP occasions decreased by 16.2%. Occasions provided by the targeted primary healthcare clinic increased by 59.7% per month. CONCLUSION: We have shown that 24-hour ADM access did not adversely affect the number of people using targeted primary healthcare when provided within close proximity. Implication for public health: These findings reinforce the demand for 24-hour needle/syringe access and can be used to support the expanded access to ADMs, especially where people who inject drugs (PWID) have access to appropriate healthcare.

Are bottle shops using Twitter to increase advertising or encourage drinking during COVID-19?

OBJECTIVE: Preliminary reports suggested that liquor retailers used COVID-19 to promote alcohol through sponsored posts on Facebook and Instagram. To further understand the advertising practices during this period, we aimed to determine whether packaged liquor retailers increased their posts during COVID-19 or used COVID-19 to promote alcohol on Twitter. METHODS: 'Tweets' (Twitter posts) from all packaged liquor retailers in NSW written since 2018 were collected. Tweets written during the first COVID-19 lockdown period were coded for: references of COVID-19, types of marketing message, use of links to online stores and use of an alcohol-related 'meme'. RESULTS: There was no evidence of increased tweet frequency, however, some COVID-specific alcohol advertising was detected that leveraged the pandemic (4.0%) or referencing the pandemic without explicitly promoting alcohol (12.0%). The most popular market messages used in the tweets were encouraging alcohol use (15.4%) and easy access to alcohol at home (9.5%). CONCLUSIONS: At least on Twitter, there was no marked increase in posts from packaged liquor retailers in NSW and only some tweets used COVID-19 to promote alcohol. Implications for public health: The use of COVID-specific alcohol marketing on social media raises important considerations for legislative and regulatory requirements, particularly during major health events such as a pandemic.