When the pubs closed: Beer consumption before and after the first and second waves of COVID‐19 in Australia.

Vandenberg, Brian; Livingston, Michael; O'Brien, Kerry

AIMS: Restrictions to alcohol availability during the first and second waves of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Australia included closures of businesses where alcohol is sold for on‐premises consumption (pubs, bars, restaurants, and cafes), but not where alcohol is sold for off‐premises consumption (take‐away and home delivery). This study aimed to compare beer consumption before and after restrictions to alcohol availability during the first and second waves of COVID‐19 in Australia. DESIGN: Interrupted time series analysis. SETTING: Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Estimated resident population aged 15+ years. MEASUREMENTS: Seasonally adjusted estimates of beer per capita consumption measured in litres of alcohol (LALs) per week, disaggregated by on‐ and off‐premises sales. FINDINGS: First wave restrictions (week beginning 23 March 2020) were associated with a significant immediate reduction in on‐premises beer per capita consumption (–0.013 LALs, 95% CI: –0.013 ‐ –0.012, P = <0.001), but no significant change in off‐premises beer per capita consumption. Partial removal of first wave restrictions (week beginning 18 May 2020) was associated with a significant immediate increase in on‐premises beer per capita consumption (+0.003 LALs, 95% CI: 0.001‐0.004, P = 0.006), but no significant change in off‐premises beer per capita consumption. Second wave restrictions (week beginning 06 July 2020) were associated with a significant immediate reduction in on‐premises beer per capita consumption (–0.004 LALs, 95% CI: –0.006 ‐ –0.002, P = 0.001), but, again, no significant change in off‐premises beer per capita consumption. CONCLUSION: Restricting the availability of on‐premises alcohol during the first and second waves of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Australia was associated with significant reductions in on‐premises beer consumption, but no significant changes in off‐premises beer consumption.