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Citation
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Yon H, Park S, Shin JU, Koyanagi A, Jacob L, Smith L, Min C, Lee J, Kwon R, Fond G, Boyer L, Kim S, Kim N, Rhee SY, Shin JI, Yon DK, Woo HG. Biomed. Environ. Sci. 2023; 36(6): 542-548. |
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Abstract
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has raised concerns about the mental health and social well-being of youth, including its potential to increase or exacerbate substance use behaviors[1]. Among adolescents, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in limited face-to-face school contact and thus missed milestones in preventing alcohol and substance use. Moreover, it has increased family stressors, and the loss of typical resilience-promoting activities (e.g., physical activity) has disrupted a crucial development period[1, 2]. However, despite the significance of the pandemic's effects on daily life, only a few studies have been conducted on substance use in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given this background, this study aimed to determine the changes in alcohol and substance use according to familial, social, and individual risk factors among Korean adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic[3].
We obtained data for the period 2005-2021 from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS), an annual survey conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on government policies[4]. The target population comprised middle and high school students (aged between 12-18 years). The sampling process included population stratification, sample allocation, and sampling stages. The population was divided into 117 strata based on the school type (middle, general, or specialist high school) and 39 regional groups (size, location, geographical accessibility, number of schools and population, living environment, current smoking rate, and drinking rate) as stratification variables. For sample allocation, the sample size was divided into 400 junior high schools and 400 high schools, with a priority allocation of five each to 17 cities and provinces to ensure that the population composition ratio was equal in the entire population and in the sample. A stratification method was used for sampling; the primary sampling unit was the school (selected by the permanent random number sampling method for each stratum), and the secondary sampling unit was the class (one class was randomly selected for each grade from the selected sample schools). The sample size for each year varied, ranging from approximately 53,445 to 73,473 participants. Participants voluntarily participated in a web-based survey at their schools (average response rate: 95%)[2, 4]. The study protocol was endorsed by Kyung Hee University (KHUH 2022-06-042) and the KDCA, who provided written informed consent.
This study was conducted to elucidate the risk factors for alcohol and substance use over the years and changes that occurred before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adolescent participants were asked to report the number of days they had consumed alcohol within the past 30 days, with response options including none, 1-2 d, 3-5 d, 6-9 d, 10-19 d, 20-29 d, and every day. According to their response, participants were categorized as either nondrinkers or current drinkers. Current drinkers were defined as those who had consumed alcohol for 1-30 days within the past 30 days. Additionally, those who drank alcohol daily were classified as daily drinkers...
Language: en |