Perceptions of and adherence to early COVID-19-related restrictions and associations with substance use among youth in Canada. / Perceptions et respect des premières restrictions liées à la COVID-19 et associations avec la consommation de substances chez les jeunes au Canada.
Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can
; 42(11-12): 479-489, 2022 11 16.
Article
in English, French
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2278673
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
As a largely social behaviour, substance use may have decreased for some youth overall in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, continued use may indicate nonadherence to pandemic-related restrictions and social distancing measures. In a sample of Canadian adolescents (aged 12-19 years), our objective was to examine how substance use (cannabis, binge drinking, cigarettes, vaping) is associated with perceptions of, and adherence to, early COVID-19-related public health measures, taking into consideration sociodemographic factors.METHODS:
Cross-sectional data were retrieved from online data collected during Year 8 of the COMPASS school-based study, during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (May-July 2020) in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. We fitted two models using generalized estimating equations to examine how substance use was associated with separate measures of (1) perceptions of, and (2) adherence to early COVID-19 restrictions.RESULTS:
In our sample, 10% of adolescents perceived COVID-19 restrictions as too weak and 14% perceived them as too strict. Nearly half (46%) reported taking restrictions very seriously, and 5% did not take them seriously at all. Binge drinking, cigarette use and vaping were associated with perceptions that restrictions were too strict and with nonadherence. However, adolescents who used cannabis were less likely to perceive COVID-19-related restrictions as too strict.CONCLUSION:
This study highlights the association of adolescent substance use with perceptions of, and adherence to, COVID-19-related public health restrictions in Canada. Our findings emphasize a need for continual monitoring of substance use behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic to better characterize adolescent risk and further inform targeted public health strategies accordingly.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Cannabis
/
Substance-Related Disorders
/
Binge Drinking
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
/
French
Journal:
Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Hpcdp.42.11
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