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Copyright of KONTAKT - Journal of Nursing & Social Sciences related to Health & Illness is the property of University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study examines the lifetime prevalence of illicit drug use and illicit drug exposure in disadvantaged ("Roma") and more affluent neighborhoods in Czechia. The results of a survey among populations of both types of neighborhoods suggest no statistically significant difference between the two in terms of the overall lifetime prevalence of illicit drug use; however, lifetime prevalence of methamphetamine use proved higher in disadvantaged neighborhoods. The population of disadvantaged neighborhoods has also lower chances to use LSD during their lifetime. Further differences were identified in drug exposure, with the population of more affluent neighborhoods being more frequently exposed to illicit drugs than the population of disadvantaged neighborhoods. The predictors of drug use and drug exposure were partially different for both populations. In the disadvantaged population, drug use was revealed, among other predictors, to be associated with housing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To investigate changes in alcohol consumption during the first months of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Europe as well as its associations with income and experiences of distress related to the pandemic. Design Cross‐sectional on‐line survey conducted between 24 April and 22 July 2020. Setting: Twenty‐one European countries. Participants: A total of 31 964 adults reporting past‐year drinking. Measurements Changes in alcohol consumption were measured by asking respondents about changes over the previous month in their drinking frequency, the quantity they consumed and incidence of heavy episodic drinking events. Individual indicators were combined into an aggregated consumption‐change score and scaled to a possible range of −1 to +1. Using this score as the outcome, multi‐level linear regressions tested changes in overall drinking, taking into account sampling weights and baseline alcohol consumption [Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT‐C)] and country of residence serving as random intercept. Similar models were conducted for each single consumption‐change indicator. Findings The aggregated consumption‐change score indicated an average decrease in alcohol consumption of −0.14 [95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.18, −0.10]. Statistically significant decreases in consumption were found in all countries, except Ireland (−0.08, 95% CI = −0.17, 0.01) and the United Kingdom (+0.10, 95% CI = 0.03, 0.17). Decreases in drinking were mainly driven by a reduced frequency of heavy episodic drinking events (−0.17, 95% CI = −0.20, −0.14). Declines in consumption were less marked among those with low‐ or average incomes and those experiencing distress. Conclusions: On average, alcohol consumption appears to have declined during the first months of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Europe. Both reduced availability of alcohol and increased distress may have affected consumption, although the former seems to have had a greater impact in terms of immediate effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]