Introduction:

The impact of the outbreak of pandemic proportions of COVID-19 has initiated several health and social measures worldwide. Thus, there is growing concern about the consequences of preventive social confinement associated with the pandemic due to the potential increase in the consumption of alcohol and other harmful substances. Between 2010-2014, in Paraguay approximately 5% of deaths over 15 years of age are attributable to alcohol consumption and are associated with external cause injuries, cancers, liver disease, cardiovascular diseases, addictions and domestic violence. Early detection and treatment are recommended intervention strategies to prevent these consequences.

Objective:

To determine the demographic characteristics of alcohol risk consumption during the covid-19 pandemic quarantine period.

Methods:

Analytical cross-sectional, exploratory observational study. It consisted of 16,538 virtual surveys carried out on persons of legal age throughout the national territory between June and September 2020. A total of 219 respondents were excluded for not meeting the inclusion criteria or for incorrectly filled out data. Risk consumption was determined using a test that rated consumption by scores. More than 5 points for men, more than 4 for women.

Results:

12224 adult participants (18-65 years old) with a mean age of 31.9 years (±9.2), were part of the analysis, with a predominance of male participation 64.5% (n=10531). The 74.9% (n=12224) came from the Metropolitan Axis. According to gender, the OR was 1.15 CI95 (1.08 - 1.23), pv=0.001. When comparing educational level, high school complete/incomplete, the OR was 1.56 CI95 (1.19 - 2.06), pv=0.001. And when comparing by axes of residence, the OR was 0.83 CI95 (0.77 - 0.89), pv=0.001.

Discussion:

It was observed that, during the quarantine period, alcohol consumption increased as the educational level of the population increased. Males presented a higher risk consumption than males. Knowing this behavior would help to propose actions to help prevent alcohol consumption in the most at-risk group.