ArticleJournal of epidemiology and community health2021
Mental health and health behaviours before and during the initial phase of the COVID-19 lockdown: longitudinal analyses of the UK Household Longitudinal Study.
Article in Journal of epidemiology and community health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05069090 (Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Two Chilean Universities), which is not on this map. Cited by 314 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Two Chilean Universities: a Difference-in-difference Analysis
Who cites it
314 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Alcohol Consumption During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Critical Review.Human psychopharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- The association between cannabis and depression: an updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Psychological medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Environmental enrichment: a systematic review on the effect of a changing spatial complexity on hippocampal neurogenesis and plasticity in rodents, with considerations for translation to urban and built environments for humans.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic review of the mental health changes of children and young people before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Changes in sleep quality and sleep disturbances in the general population from before to during the COVID-19 lockdown: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- The UK Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and smoking, alcohol consumption and vaping during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from eight longitudinal population surveys.BMC medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Mental and social wellbeing and the UK coronavirus job retention scheme: Evidence from nine longitudinal studies.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2022Pooled it
- Investigating the prevalence of anxiety and depression during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom: Systematic review and meta-analyses.The British journal of clinical psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Mental disorders following COVID-19 and other epidemics: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Translational psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Changes in alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe: A meta-analysis of observational studies.Drug and alcohol review · 2022Pooled it
- The UK Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and diet, physical activity, and sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from eight longitudinal population surveys.BMC medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Changes in alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics: A systematic review.Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research · 2022Pooled it
- Episodic future thinking and compassion reduce non-compliance urges regarding public health guidelines: a randomised controlled trial.BMC public health · 2023Trial
- Living Alone as a Persistent Risk Factor for Smoking and High-Risk Drinking: A Three-Year Repeated Cross-Sectional Analysis Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Republic of Korea.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Mental health in adults aged 50+ since the COVID-19 pandemic: Are we (all) back to 'normal'? evidence from England.Journal of affective disorders reports · 2026Article
- Has alcohol consumption in England returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels? A monthly population study, 2014 to 2024.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Article
- The Hidden Cost of Delay: Post-Pandemic Evolution of Advanced Ovarian Cancer Profiles.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Consensus on Culturally Competent Mental Health Services Recommendations: A Modified Delphi Consensus Study With Ethnic Minorities, Carers, Public Advisors and Health Professionals.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- Effects of alcohol misuse on the evolution of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in France: results from CONFINS cohort.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Changes in tobacco sales before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: An interrupted time series analysis.PloS one · 2026Article
254 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThere are concerns that COVID-19 mitigation measures, including the 'lockdown', may have unintended health consequences. We examined trends in mental health and health behaviours in the UK before and during the initial phase of the COVID-19 lockdown and differences across population subgroups.
methodsRepeated cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of the UK Household Longitudinal Study, including representative samples of over 27,000 adults (aged 18+) interviewed in four survey waves between 2015 and 2020. A total of 9748 adults had complete data for longitudinal analyses. Outcomes included psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-12), loneliness, current cigarette smoking, use of e-cigarettes and alcohol consumption. Cross-sectional prevalence estimates were calculated and multilevel Poisson regression assessed associations between time period and the outcomes of interest, as well as differential associations by age, gender, education level and ethnicity.
resultsPsychological distress increased 1 month into lockdown with the prevalence rising from 19.4% (95% CI 18.7% to 20.1%) in 2017-2019 to 30.6% (95% CI 29.1% to 32.3%) in April 2020 (RR=1.3, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.4). Groups most adversely affected included women, young adults, people from an Asian background and those who were degree educated. Loneliness remained stable overall (RR=0.9, 95% CI 0.6 to 1.5). Smoking declined (RR=0.9, 95% CI=0.8,1.0) and the proportion of people drinking four or more times per week increased (RR=1.4, 95% CI 1.3 to 1.5), as did binge drinking (RR=1.5, 95% CI 1.3 to 1.7).
conclusionsPsychological distress increased 1 month into lockdown, particularly among women and young adults. Smoking declined, but adverse alcohol use generally increased. Effective measures are required to mitigate negative impacts on health.
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