July 22, 2025
Assessment of restriction measures implemented during COVID pandemics on community lifestyle choices via wastewater-based epidemiology
Problem: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affected lifestyle habits, and the mental health and wellbeing of people around the world.
The study: Two towns (Paulton and Radstock) and two cities (Bath and Bristol) in our CWBE Living Lab (> 1 million people) were monitored for two years using Wastewater-Based Epidemiology to assess impacts of COVID (including management measures such as lockdowns and movement restrictions) on community lifestyle choices: illicit drugs, legal stimulants, abused pharmaceuticals and pain pharma usage.
Conclusions: Results were triangulated with key interventions implemented during the pandemic: national lockdowns, restrictions and social distancing measures. This highlighted a reduction in cocaine intake (as benzoylecgonine) (community average: −36 %) during the first lockdown and an increase in illicit drugs usage after the 3rd national lockdown (community averages for amphetamine: +8 %, cocaine/benzoylecgonine: +39 %, ketamine: +70 %) when restrictions were removed, and social interaction and recreational activities increased. There was a reduction in the intake of caffeine (as 1,7-dimethylxanthine) (community average: −39 %) after 3rd national lockdown coinciding with pubs reopening while nicotine intake (via cotinine) remained stable indicating lack of impact of COVID on smoking habits. Pain pharma often used in pain management resulting from injuries linked with sport activities (naproxen and diclofenac) showed decrease in usage due to lockdown restrictions in physical exercise and access to gyms/sport facilities.
Partners: Wessex Water
Funders: EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account (EP/R51164X/1, ENTRUST IAA), Wessex Water Innovative Pathways Control Project and GCRF EWS-C19 project (EP/V028499/1).
