Anxiety and depression among adult tobacco users during the COVID-19 restrictions in India

• Authors: Shalini Bassi, Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India; Gaurang P Nazar, Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY), New Delhi, India; Nishigandha Joshi, Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY), New Delhi, India; Nitika Sharma, Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY), New Delhi, India; Aishwarya Pandian, Los Angeles Cty Dept Publ Hlth; Mohan Deepa, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation & Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre; Sailesh Mohan, Public Health Foundation of India & Centre for Chronic Disease Control; Shivani Patel, Emory University; Mohammed Ali, Emory University; Ann McNeill, Kings College London; Nikhil Tandon, All India Institute of Medical Sciences; Viswanathan Mohan, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation & Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre; Dorairaj Prabhakaran, Emory University; Monika Arora, Public Health Foundation of India
• Journal Title: FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
• Volume: Volume 13
• Publisher: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA | 2022-08-23, Pages 964949-964949
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.964949
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Public Health
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Psychiatry; mental health; tobacco users; COVID-19; lockdown; anxiety; depression; DISORDER; VALIDATION

Abstract

Background: The world witnessed a highly contagious and deadly disease, COVID-19, toward the end of 2019. India is one of the worst affected countries. We aimed to assess anxiety and depression levels among adult tobacco users and people who recently quit tobacco during COVID-19 lockdown in India. Materials and methods: The study was conducted across two Indian cities, Delhi and Chennai (July-August, 2020) among adult tobacco users (n = 801). Telephonic interviews were conducted using validated mental health tools (Patient Health Questionnaire-PHQ-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-GAD-7) to assess the anxiety and depression levels of the participants. Descriptive analysis and multiple logistic regression were used to study the prevalence and correlates of depression and anxiety. Results: We found that 20.6% of tobacco users had depression symptoms (3.9% moderate to severe); 20.7% had anxiety symptoms (3.8% moderate to severe). Risk factors associated with depression and anxiety included food, housing, and financial insecurity. Conclusion: During COVID-19 lockdown, mental health of tobacco users (primarily women) was associated with food, housing and financial insecurity. The Indian Government rightly initiated several health, social and economic measures to shield the most vulnerable from COVID-19, including a ban on the sale of tobacco products. It is also necessary to prioritize universal health coverage, expanded social security net, tobacco cessation and mental health services to such vulnerable populations during pandemic situations.