[Tobacco use in Spain during COVID-19 lockdown: an evaluation through social media.]

Rebollar Álvarez, Aarón; Nuez Vicente, Cristina; Lozano Polo, Adelaida; Pérez Ríos, Mónica; Pola Ferrández, Elena; Furió Martínez, Ana Mª; Monteagudo Piqueras, Olga; Dalmau González-Gallarza, Regina; Doncel Barrera, Julio; Justo Gil, Soledad; Rey Brandariz, Julia; González Carreño, Carmen; Gómez-Chacón Galán, Cristina

OBJECTIVE During the state of alarm and once the confinement decreed by the COVID-19 pandemic ended, a cross-sectorial study was carried out in Spain between May 4th and 22nd, 2020 by volunteers who completed a self-administered online survey. The objective of this study was to know how the confinement period affected the consumption of tobacco and other related products in the adult Spanish population. METHODS The survey consisted of 18 questions concerning sociodemographic characteristics, the consumption of tobacco and other related products, exposure to secondhand smoke and perception of COVID-19 risk associated with consumption. Questions about tobacco and other related products were posed in order to compare consumption prior to and during confinement. The survey was completed by 17,017 people. The analysis of association of variables was carried out with T-student. Variable frequency analysis was performed with χ2. RESULTS There was a reduction in the prevalence of daily tobacco smoking and no changes were observed in the products consumed in either period (6.73%). The prevalence of exposure to secondhand smoke at home during confinement among non-smokers decreased (61.83%). Most of survey respondents reported that tobacco and e-cigarette consumption increased the risk of contracting COVID-19 and suffering severe complications (39.09% and 31.80% respectively). CONCLUSIONS During the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain, the tobacco consumption decreased. Also, secondhand smoke exposition reduces in Spain during this period.