University study to examine lockdown alcohol and porn use
12 May 2020, 06:43
Consumption of alcohol, pornography and gambling could be increasing during the lockdown, researchers have suggested.
Researchers have launched a new study to see how coronavirus restrictions have affected people's behaviours.
University of Cambridge academics have urged the public to take part in an anonymous survey examining people's gambling, smoking, pornography consumption and drinking habits - to see whether lockdown has had an impact.
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"We expect to see an increase in these behaviours across the UK in response to the unprecedented circumstances we find ourselves in," said Dr Valerie Voon from the University of Cambridge.
"In many cases, these changes will be people's strategies for coping with the anxiety and stress caused by the pandemic and lockdown and, we hope, won't have a long-term impact if the behaviour can be controlled.
"For some people, who might already have been struggling with or have a history of addiction, these increased habits could prove problematic."
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Meanwhile, experts at the University of Bristol also launched a separate study examining which patients are at greatest risk of harm from Covid-19.
Researchers aim to link routine health data recorded in GP surgeries to the records of the most severely ill patients admitted to hospital intensive care units.
They hope the analysis will reveal which existing health problems, drug treatments, or other factors - such as smoking behaviours, are most strongly associated with people being admitted to intensive care or dying due to the virus.
