Inequitable Burden Of COVID-19 Changed Māori Drinking, Smoking, And Gambling Habits During Lockdown

08 March

National Māori Public Health Agency, Hāpai Te Hauora are concerned with multiple findings in the ‘ Impact of Covid-19 August 2021’ survey released by Te Hiringa Hauora and NielsenIQ today. It canvassed the participants’ use of alcohol, tobacco, vaping and gambling in the August 2021 lockdown period. The survey had 1,401 respondents, 396 were Māori and 229 Pacific Peoples.

Acting Chief Executive Officer Jason Alexander says the findings are concerning, yet not surprising given Māori have so far borne the brunt of the negative impacts of the pandemic. Alexander says this is a strong indicator that Māori need to be prioritised for smoking, gambling and alcohol harm reduction in the wake of COVID-19.

30% of Māori who smoke that were surveyed say they smoked more than usual during the August 2021 lockdown. Among those who reported smoking more than usual, reasons given were primarily boredom, being anxious or stressed, or needing help to relax. While those Māori respondents smoked more compared to usual, these results suggest the increase in their smoking or vaping during lockdown, was primarily due to pandemic-related stressors, not a change in daily habits.

64% of Māori who smoke started to worry about their own smoking since going in to the August 2021 lockdown, suggesting a greater awareness in this group of the risks of COVID-19 infection and smoking.

A similar pattern was seen in Māori who were usual vapers who increased vaping during lockdown. It appears Māori smokers responded to increased worry about their own smoking by using vaping as a cessation tool and less harmful alternative to smoking.

While reasons for increasing vaping were similar to increased smoking (boredom, help relaxing or switching off), 37% of respondents stated they began vaping to help them quit smoking. 20% of respondents were usual vapers, and 1 in 5 Māori who vaped first tried an e-cigarette or vaping device during the August 2021 lockdown.

Daily smoking for Māori changed between lockdowns, with just 22% of Māori being daily smokers during August 2021, down significantly from 31% in April 2020. Māori were overall still much more likely to be daily smokers than NZ European/Others.

‘The decline in number of daily smokers is encouraging for whānau as we know first-hand how challenging it can be to stay smokefree. Seeing patterns of decline in smoking is a trend Hāpai Te Hauora supports and is a race we want whanau to win’ says Alexander.

Key findings in the report show that the increase in alcohol consumption for Māori was higher than the average at 28% of respondents reporting drinking more than usual in comparison to 21% NZ European. Reasons Māori reported the increase in consumption were similar to smoking, namely ‘needing help to switch off’ (64%), ‘feelings of anxiety and stress’ (56%) and ‘boredom’ (54%).

Hāpai Te Hauora would like to see an emphasis on ensuring better checks and balances with the changing landscape of alcohol consumption with online ordering. These findings show that it is clear Māori must be prioritised at all levels of policy discussion around COVID-19 health recovery, particularly in consideration of social stressors being worsened by the pandemic.

28% of Māori are reported to have started to worry about their own personal drinking habits since the August 2021 lockdown period, 10% higher than the previous years results. 20% of Māori or 1 in 5 began worrying about the drinking habits of someone else in their household which was in line with the previous year’s findings. 1 in 3 people surveyed experienced harm from their own drinking with Māori reporting ‘feeling worried or stressed about money’ (17%), ‘developing or worsening mental health issues’ (14%) and ‘getting into an argument’ (11%) as the top 3 harms experienced. 38% of Māori surveyed reported buying alcohol online in comparison to 24% in 2020 and reported both the ease of purchasing and inconsistency of ID checking on delivery.

The responses to gambling habits show that Māori reported using MyLotto online gambling services at a higher proportional rate in comparison to 2020 results where 43% reported MyLotto use. Māori showed a decrease in use of overseas gambling websites during the August 2021 lockdown at 13%, a 10% decrease in use from 2020. 1 in 5 Māori surveyed had started to worry about their own gambling and 1 in 10 Māori worried about the gambling habits of a household member. Respondents also reported that they were aware of a range of services to help them manage their gambling. These included free local confidential gambling support services, support from whānau and friends and free national phone or txt services.

Inequitable delivery of services to Māori has also resulted in the over-representation of Māori in statistics that increase the risk of severe outcomes from contracting COVID-19. Māori are more likely to be impacted during the pandemic by factors that affect wellbeing like unemployment or underemployment, financial difficulties, loss of whānau members to isolation, illness or death and and are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, being hospitalised or dying from COVID-19 infection. The results of this survey provide an opportunity to utilise the momentum and change in habits already established by Māori whānau and perceptions of smoking, drinking and gambling.

"The results of this survey are a reflection of the detrimental impact that the pandemic is having on Māori. The decline of smoking rates highlighted in these results are commended, however with the Government’s increased proactive public health action in the smokefree arena, we would like to see that there is consideration for increased budget to progress this momentum across not only tobacco related harm, but the harms caused by alcohol and gambling too" says Alexander. "Hāpai Te Hauora believes supporting whānau and communities most underserved to maintain health in all aspects is imperative, throughout the many phases of the COVID-19 pandemic."

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