Limited Source Justification - Pandemic-Driven Changes in Alcohol Consumption Survey

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), one of the 27 institutes and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH), supports and conducts research on the impact of alcohol use on human health and well-being. It is the largest funder of alcohol research in the world. The NIAAA Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research (DEPR) promotes and supports applied, translational, and methodological research on the epidemiology and prevention of hazardous alcohol consumption and related behaviors, alcohol use disorder, alcohol-related mortality and morbidity, and other alcohol-related problems and consequences. The COVID-19 pandemic has created profound changes in a range of social, behavioral, and economic factors that are known to affect drinking behaviors, including incomes and employment, stress, opportunities for socializing, and alcohol availability. Simultaneous upheavals in these and other factors may create profound changes in drinking patterns and, in turn, the need for prevention and treatment services as well as health care for the wide range of alcohol-related health conditions. The NIAAA has a clear interest in monitoring and understanding these changes and their effects on public health. This procurement capitalizes on a unique opportunity to obtain insights into changes in alcohol consumption and closely related behaviors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, Dr. Carolina Barbosa and colleagues at RTI International presented data from a survey they conducted in May 2020 of changes in drinking behaviors between February (before widespread recognition of the pandemic) and April, 2020 (when the pandemic was in full swing and a wide range of stay-at-home orders and restrictions on gatherings and commercial activity were in place in many states). The key findings from the analyses of the survey data were that alcohol consumption, including excessive consumption, had increased during the pandemic period, both overall and among specific groups, including females, Blacks, and adults with children in the home. The largest increases in alcohol consumption were among people who increased their usual quantity consumed and those who were not drinking in excess of recommended guidelines in February. However, findings from a single survey can be misleading and generally cannot support strong conclusions pertaining to cause-and-effect relationships. In addition, some important related behaviors were not addressed in the initial survey. A follow-up survey of the same individuals will provide a clearer picture of the changes in alcohol consumption and related behaviors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and permit more powerful analyses to understand the factors driving such changes. This procurement will rely on the proprietary information and knowledge developed by RTI International in conducting the initial survey to re-survey the same respondents, analyze the data from both surveys, and report on the results.