Measuring spatial and temporal trends of nicotine and alcohol consumption in Australia using wastewater-based epidemiology.

Tobacco and alcohol consumption remain priority public health issues worldwide. As participation in population-based surveys has fallen, it is increasingly challenging to estimate accurately the prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an alternative approach for estimating substance use at the population level that does not rely on survey participation. This study examined spatio-temporal patterns in nicotine (a proxy for tobacco) and alcohol consumption in the Australian population via WBE.