| Summary: | 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.
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