The COVID-19 pandemic: asthma control, tobacco use, and mental health among African American and Latinx college students

Objective This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on tobacco use and mental health in US African American and Latinx college students with asthma. Associations among asthma control, tobacco use, and mental health were also examined. Methods 105 African American and Latinx college students with asthma (18-23 years) completed two online questionnaires (June 2019-March 2020 for Time 1; August 2020-October 2020 for Time 2). Participants completed the Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory (measure of COVID-19 impact), Asthma Control Test, Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, Patient Health Questionnaire (measure of depression), Perceived Stress Scale, and items related to tobacco use. Results Asthma control improved (t = -3.326, p = 0.001) from Time 1 to 2, and e-vapor product use decreased (chi(2)(104) = 6.572, p = 0.010). COVID-19 impact was positively associated with students' symptoms of anxiety, depression, and perceived stress (B = 0.201, p < 0.001; B = 0.179, p < 0.001; and B = 0.199, p = 0.001, respectively) at Time 2. These results remained significant with the Benjamini-Hochberg correction. Asthma control at Time 1 was negatively associated with anxiety symptoms at Time 2 (B = -0.418, p = 0.023); however, associations with perceived stress (B = -0.514, p = 0.019) and all other tobacco product use (B = -0.233, p = 0.030) did not remain significant with the Benjamini-Hochberg correction. Conclusions As hypothesized, a higher COVID-19 impact score was associated with students endorsing more mental health symptoms. Better control of asthma symptoms before the pandemic predicted fewer anxiety symptoms during the pandemic.