Why lockdown with the kids drove Scots parents to drink

ANY parent will tell you that keeping young children amused while being forced to stay indoors can have its stressful moments.

Now a study has found that Scots locked down at home with their youngsters during the pandemic boozed more.

Researchers found Scotland’s strict restrictions were linked to unhealthy habits such as a poor diet and drinking more alcohol, particularly among parents with children at home.

In Scotland and the UK, freedoms were limited from March to June 2020, then again in November and December that year and from January to March last year. During the first restrictions, schools and nurseries closed and many people were forced to juggle working from home with looking after their children.

Working from home continued to be the norm during the winter months of the 2021 lockdown.

Research by the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), with the University of Tsukuba in Japan, has found self-isolation in both countries was linked to a rise in alcohol consumption and an unhealthier diet.

The study asked 277 people in Scotland and Japan to consider how their alcohol consumption, diet, sleep quality and physical activity had changed since the start of the pandemic. In both countries, parents with children at home were more likely to have an unhealthier diet in lockdown.

But parents with children at home in Scotland were more likely to drink more alcohol in lockdown.

A third of Scots and 15 per cent of those in Japan said they drank ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ more in lockdown. Thirty-one per cent of Scots with children drank more.

In Japan, having children in the household was not linked to any significant rise in alcohol consumption. In Scotland, a change to work circumstances such as working from home was linked to poorer sleep quality and less physical activity.

The study, led by Dr Joanne Ingram from the UWS, shows Scotland’s tight restrictions led to negative changes in health behaviour while the less rigid curbs in Japan seemed to have less impact. It also found people in Scotland who did less exercise or did not sleep well had a poorer mood.

Dr Ingram said: ‘Overall, we found undergoing a period of selfisolation or experiencing a large change in circumstances, such as a change to work, because of the pandemic was linked to changes towards more unhealthy behaviours.’ Scottish Tory health spokesman Craig Hoy said: ‘The mental health crisis spiralled out of control during the pandemic and we know many people struggled with feelings of social isolation. That led to many people turning to alcohol and junk food, which proved to be a dangerous mix when coupled with people only being able to exercise for limited periods during lockdowns.

‘The SNP were often too slow to lift restrictions on people’s lives.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Our priority throughout the pandemic has been to save lives and we’ve sought to take the necessary actions, based on the latest scientific and clinical evidence. Since the start of the pandemic, the Scottish Government has taken action to assist those drinking at harmful levels.’

‘Mental health crisis spiralled’