Effects of the first two waves of the COVID–19 on law enforcement college students’ alcohol, caffeine consumption and smoking habits

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the first two waves of the COVID–19 epidemic and the introduced epidemiological measures and the changes in alcohol and caffeine consumption and smoking habits among Hungarian law enforcement students.
Methodology: Cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was conducted among law enforcement students (N=556) at the University of Public Service Faculty of Law Enforcement (UPS FLE). The study sample (N=180) was 57.2% male (n=103) and 42.8% female (n=77).
Findings: The results show that during the first wave of the pandemic, 9% of law enforcement students, who consumed alcohol, 25% of occas ional and regular smokers and 13.5% of caffeinated drinkers increased their consumption. There was no significant difference between male and female in the consumption of any of these drugs (palcohol=0.452471; psmoking=0.532113; pcaffeine=0.059011; p>0.05). However, among occasional and regular alcohol users and smokers, there was a significant association between changes in the level of substance use and existing patterns of consumption. Regular drinkers were 5.7 times more likely to increase their consumption during the pandemic than occasional drinkers (25.0 vs. 4.4%). Daily smokers also showed a nearly two-fold increase in substance use compared to occasional smokers (30.8% vs. 16.7%). Our results suggest that the main reason for increase in alcohol consumption among law enforcement students were primarily due t o the increased unstructured leisure time ( =3.12; SD=1.454), the required law enforcement duty ( =2.81; SD=1.515), and the increased anxiety caused by lockdowns ( =2.75; SD=1,437). Furthermore, required law enforcement duty may also have played a role in the increase in smoking ( =3.81; SD=1.601) and caffeine consumption ( =3.86; SD=1.632). However, the reduction in social interactions may play a crucial role in the decrease of use of all three psychoactive substances.
Value: One of the most striking consequences of the first wave of the COVID–19 epidemic among young adults was the introduction of online education in universities worldwide. University students, including law enforcement students, have faced many challenges. These influenced alcohol and caffeine consumption and smoking in different ways.