As the SARS-CoV-2 worldwide outbreak approaches the one-year mark of its official designation as a global pandemic, it is safe to say that its advent has altered the behaviors of affected populations in a litany of manners. College students in the United States have seen a dramatic shift in their day-to-day lives as the majority have seen their class experience transform to online formats and their usual social activities subverted by COVID-19-related isolation policies and closings. Because of the ongoing nature of the pandemic, scientific literature concerning the specific impacts of the pandemic on college students’ behaviors continues to be published on a rolling basis, with mental health and substance use being common subject matter. This study examined how smoking and vaping among college students has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study was composed of a subset of participants from a prior longitudinal study of alcohol and cannabis co-use who agreed to be recontacted for future study purposes. This subset was composed of students from a large university in the United States who reported using cigarettes or electronic nicotine delivery devices (ENDS; e.g. “vapes”) during the week before COVID-19 campus closures (N=83, 52.4% female). The participants completed surveys detailing their demographics, pre- and post-COVID-19 residence status, tobacco use habits, nicotine dependence (via Hooked on Nicotine Checklist), COVID-19 news exposure, and anxiety symptoms (via Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 item scale). Independent t-tests and multivariate regression analysis were used to compare variables before and after COVID-19-related campus closures, with data collection occurring during May and June of 2020 (about 2-3 months after closures).
Results of the study found that participants who reported tobacco or vaping use before campus closures now reported a reduced number of days in which cigarettes and ENDS were used during the week prior to respective data collection (p<0.001 for both cigarettes and ENDS). However, the overall quantity of cigarettes or ENDS material consumption remained unchanged. Changes from independent to non-independent residency resulted in a pause in nicotine usage, and increased anxiety symptoms also increased rates of nicotine pausing.
Takeaway: The COVID-19 pandemic has altered numerous behavior patterns of college students, with tobacco use being a potential example. While the number of smoking days may have decreased among students who used tobacco/ENDS before the pandemic-related closures, the quantities remained the same, suggesting a change in the manner of consumption, and not necessarily a trend towards cessation.
Sokolovsky AW, Hertel AW, Micalizzi L, White HR, Hayes KL, Jackson KM. Preliminary impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on smoking and vaping in college students. Addictive Behaviors. 2021;115:106783. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106783