Proceedings of the Institutes for Advanced Studies
Published May 29, 2022 | Version v1
Conference paper Open

Methodological difficulties of conducting cross-country quantitative research early in the COVID-19 pandemic: surveying changes in tobacco, alcohol and other substance use

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Sovereignty & Smoking, Auckland, New Zealand
  • 2. Centre for Precise Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Germany/Switzerland; Academy for Postgraduate Education, Moscow, Russia
  • 3. National Centre for Development of Social Support & Rehabilitation, Moscow, Russia

Description

Natural disasters, and pandemics, mostly occur without warning. The threat to public health, the environment, and social wellbeing warrants scientific investigation to inform future preventative or rehabilitative measures. However, the panic and disruption to normal life caused by disasters and pandemics, and Government responses to them, pose particular challenges for researching such events and their effects. The SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, and quarantine measures implemented to reduce the incidence of morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19, triggered a large, rapid wave of research on the topic globally. Our contribution to this was a cross-sectional online survey of adults, in four countries, who pre-pandemic or currently, smoked tobacco, consumed alcohol, or used a range of nicotine products or other drugs. The purpose of the study was to identify if consumption behavior had changed and the potential effect of coping in lockdown on use of these products. This paper discusses some of the methodological and operational challenges we encountered. Obstacles to conducting a robust study were encountered at each stage, including delays while seeking funding, and other approvals; difficulty recruiting collaborators across countries; adapting and translating the questionnaire for local use; and varied methods of participant recruitment by location.

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