# Alcohol consumption and related comorbid conditions: health state utilities for economic evaluation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

> **NIH NIH R15** · UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA GREENSBORO · 2020 · $151,382

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a social and health environment that is previously unknown in scope
and magnitude. Health effects include mild to severe infection with SARS-coV-2; psychological trauma from
living through a pandemic, including anxiety and depression; emotional stress from unemployment, food
insecurity, and caretaking; and diminished social well-being due to physical distancing and restrictions in
movement. At the same time, alcohol sales have been increasing, and many states have protected access to
alcohol through declaring restaurants and liquor stores as essential businesses and authorizing off-premise
alcohol deliveries, mixed drinks to-go, and curbside pickup. The interplay between alcohol consumption and
the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are as yet unknown: consumption may be changing in response to
COVID-19 circumstances and hazardous drinking may be increasing with negative consequences on health
and well-being, or consumption changes may be limited to the low-risk end of the spectrum with little or no
effect on well-being. This study will conduct 3 successive cross-sectional surveys of a US population
representative sample to assess alcohol consumption, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and COVID-
related conditions at an individual level. The resultant dataset will allow for estimates of the association
between alcohol consumption and HRQoL while under different conditions of COVID-19 experiences. It will
allow examination of potential heterogeneity across population subgroups—varying COVID-19 conditions,
varying consumption, and varying effects of the two. The study will also compare pre and during COVID
consumption and HRQoL using prior US data from NESARC-III as a baseline, reflecting population patterns in
the 2013-14 period. As the COVID-19 pandemic is a highly dynamic situation, it is important to collect US
population data now to inform behavior in the early stages of response. Our results will inform alcohol policy
and will enable accurate evaluation of alcohol interventions in light of the ongoing pandemic.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10193124
- **Project number:** 3R15AA027655-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA GREENSBORO
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeremy W Bray
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $151,382
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-09-05 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10193124

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10193124, Alcohol consumption and related comorbid conditions: health state utilities for economic evaluation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (3R15AA027655-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10193124. Licensed CC0.

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