Alcohol consumption increased in the UK during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in most countries in Europe it declined, a panEuropean study has found.

Data were obtained from the cross-sectional online European Alcohol and COVID-19 survey that collected information on changes in alcohol consumption among European adults.

The survey was translated from English into 20 languages and disseminated across 21 European nations. Targeted sampling was adopted in some countries to ensure sufficient representation across age, gender and education.

Data were collected between April and July 2020 and the final analytical sample included 31,964 individuals.

Respondents were asked whether their frequency of drinking occasions, quantity of alcohol consumed on each occasion or frequency of heavy episodic drinking had changed during the past month.

The three consumption variables were summed and divided by six in order to obtain an aggregate consumption-change score scaled to a potential range of -1 to +1, with negative values indicating a decrease and positive values an increase in consumption during the past month relative to baseline alcohol consumption over the preceding 12 months.

Across the countries surveyed, the aggregated consumption-change score showed an average decrease of -0.14 (95% CI: -0.18 to -0.10; P < 0.001).

Statistically significant reductions in consumption were found in every country, except Ireland and the UK.

In Ireland, there was a non-significant decrease; -0.08 (95% CI: -0.17 to 0.01;P = 0.084). The UK was the only country to demonstrate a statistically significant mean increase in alcohol consumption; +0.10 (95% CI: 0.03 to 0.17; P = 0.004). Both drinking frequency and quantities consumed on each occasion increased.

Albania had the biggest change in consumption score; -0.37 (95% CI: -0.52 to -0.22; P < 0.001).

The frequency of heavy episodic drinking events decreased in almost all countries except for the UK where, on average, frequency of these events remained unchanged.

Aggregated data across all countries showed no significant differences between women -0.13 (95% CI: -0.18 to -0.07) and men -0.16 (95% CI: -0.20 to -0.12; P = 0.059).

The consumption-change score was substantially greater among those aged 18-34 years; -0.20 (95% CI: -0.26 to -0.15; P = < 0.001) and those aged ≥ 55; -0.13 (95% CI: -0.20 to -0.07; P = 0.004) compared with those aged 35-54; -0.07 (95% CI: -0.11 to -0.04).

It is important for GPs in the UK to recognise that the anecdotal increase in alcohol consumption in this country that was talked about has been substantiated by this research.

Dr Jez Thompson