Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Tobacco, Tobacco Research, UCLA / 09.03.2021
Tobacco Sales Reverse Long-Term Decline During Pandemic
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_56890" align="alignleft" width="125"]
Dr. Lee[/caption]
Brian P. Lee, MD, MAS
Assistant Professor Clinical Medicine
University of Southern Californi
Keck School of Medicine
Los Angeles, California
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with mental health stressors, including anxiety, loneliness, and social instability. We hypothesized the pandemic may have led to increased alcohol and tobacco use as a coping mechanism for these stressors. National retrospective questionnaires had suggested higher reports of substance use, but these are limited by selection and recall biases, in addition to subjective report – we sought to address this knowledge gap by using a nationally-representative longitudinal cohort (Nielsen National Consumer Panel) tracking real-time purchases of households across the US.
Dr. Lee[/caption]
Brian P. Lee, MD, MAS
Assistant Professor Clinical Medicine
University of Southern Californi
Keck School of Medicine
Los Angeles, California
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with mental health stressors, including anxiety, loneliness, and social instability. We hypothesized the pandemic may have led to increased alcohol and tobacco use as a coping mechanism for these stressors. National retrospective questionnaires had suggested higher reports of substance use, but these are limited by selection and recall biases, in addition to subjective report – we sought to address this knowledge gap by using a nationally-representative longitudinal cohort (Nielsen National Consumer Panel) tracking real-time purchases of households across the US.