Tobacco Induced Diseases (Dec 2023)

Tobacco and marijuana use during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown among American Indians residing in California and Oklahoma

  • Julie H. T. Dang,
  • Sixia Chen,
  • Spencer Hall,
  • Janis E. Campbell,
  • Moon S. Chen Jr.<sup>‡</sup>,
  • Mark P. Doescher<sup>‡</sup>

DOI
https://doi.org/10.18332/tid/174819
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 21, no. December
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

Read online

Introduction American Indian (AI) people experience a disproportionate tobacco and marijuana burden which may have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about the tobacco and marijuana habits of American Indian individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study is to examine tobacco and marijuana use as well as change in use during the COVID-19 pandemic among the American Indian community. Methods This cross-sectional study analyzes survey data from a convenience sample of American Indian individuals residing in California and Oklahoma and included adults with and without cancer that resided in both rural and urban areas (n=1068). Results During October 2020 - January 2021, 36.0% of participants reported current use of tobacco products, 9.9% reported current use of marijuana products, and 23.7% reported increased use of tobacco and/or marijuana in the past 30 day with no difference between those with cancer and those without cancer. Tobacco use was associated with marital status, age, employment status, COVID-19 exposure, COVID-19 beliefs, and alcohol consumption. Marijuana use was associated with COVID-19 beliefs, alcohol consumption, and income level. Increased tobacco and/or marijuana use was associated with baseline use of those products. Nearly a quarter of participants reported increased use of tobacco and or marijuana products during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions We observed high rates of tobacco use during the COVID-19 pandemic, consistent with other studies. Research is needed to examine whether tobacco and marijuana use will decrease to pre-pandemic levels post-pandemic or if these behaviors will persist post-pandemic. Given these findings, there is a pressing need to increase access to evidence-based tobacco and marijuana treatment services in the AI population post COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords