Association of binge drinking with the COVID-19 pandemic

  • Oluwabunmi Dada Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Murray State University, Murray, KY
  • David Adzrago Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research and School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
  • Emmanuel Odame University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Birmingham, AL 35233
  • Elizabeth Obekpa School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX
  • Hadii Mamudu College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
  • Manik Ahuja College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
  • Matt Asare Department of Public Health, Baylor University, Waco, TX
  • David W. Stewart Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
  • Johnny Wilkerson The Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas, Houston, TX
  • Prasun Bhattacharjee Center for Cardiovascular Risk Research, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN; College of Business and Technology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614
  • Timir K. Paul Division of Medicine, University of Tennessee at Nashville/Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital, Nashville, TN
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.629
Keywords: binge drinking, alcohol use, alcohol dependence, COVID-19 pandemic, sociodemographic

Abstract

Aim: This study examines changes in binge drinking prevalence and odds before and after the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic declaration in the United States (U.S.) among individuals with prior history of alcohol use, and explores interaction effects of sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related factors on the association.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) collected between February and June 2020 from adults reporting alcohol use in the past 30 days (N = 1,948). The primary outcome was binge drinking, defined as consuming ≥5 drinks (men) or ≥4 drinks (women) on one occasion in the past month. Weighted multivariable logistic regression models estimated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for binge drinking after versus before the pandemic declaration, adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related factors.

Results: Binge drinking prevalence was similar before (44.39%) and after (44.13%) the declaration, with no significant overall difference (AOR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.54–1.10). Cardiometabolic outcomes significantly moderated the association (p = 0.022), with lower probabilities among those with cardiometabolic conditions and higher probabilities among those without. Increased odds of binge drinking were observed among Hispanic adults (AOR= 2.10, 95% CI= 1.08, 4.07), lesbian/gay or bisexual individuals (AOR= 2.89, 95% CI= 1.11, 7.54), and former (AOR= 1.78, 95% CI= 1.15, 2.76) or current (AOR= 3.45, 95% CI= 1.71, 6.98) smokers.

Conclusions: While overall binge drinking remained stable, disparities emerged across subpopulations. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing alcohol use among vulnerable groups during public health emergencies.

Published
2026-02-27
How to Cite
Dada, O., Adzrago, D., Odame, E., Obekpa, E., Mamudu, H., Ahuja, M., Asare, M., Stewart, D. W., Wilkerson, J., Bhattacharjee, P., & Paul, T. K. (2026). Association of binge drinking with the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research. https://doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.629
Issue
Early View Papers and Abstracts
Section
Article

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