TitleDaily physical activity and alcohol use across the adult lifespan.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2015
AuthorsConroy, DE, Ram, N, Pincus, AL, Coffman, DL, Lorek, AE, Rebar, AL, Roche, MJ
JournalHealth Psychol
Volume34
Issue6
Pagination653-60
Date Published2015 Jun
ISSN1930-7810
KeywordsAdolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alcohol Drinking, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Motor Activity, Pennsylvania, Young Adult
Abstract

<p><b>OBJECTIVE: </b>In contrast to proposals that physical activity (PA) can be a substitute for alcohol use, people who engage in greater overall PA generally consume more alcohol on average than less-active peers. Acknowledging that both PA and alcohol use vary considerably from day-to-day, this study evaluated whether established associations reflect daily behavioral coupling within-person, are an artifact of procedures that aggregate behavior over time, or both.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>A life span sample of 150 adults (aged 19-89 years) completed three 21-day measurement bursts of a daily diary study. At the end of each day, they reported on their PA and alcohol consumption. Data were analyzed in a negative binomial multilevel regression.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>As expected, both behaviors exhibited limited between-person variation. After controlling for age, gender, and seasonal and social calendar influences, daily deviations in PA were significantly associated with daily total alcohol use. Once the within-person process linking PA and alcohol use was controlled, usual PA and total alcohol use were not associated.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>The established between-person association linking PA and alcohol use reflects the aggregation of a daily process that unfolds within-people over time. Further work is needed to identify mediators of this daily association and to evaluate causality, as well as to investigate these relations in high-risk samples.</p>

DOI10.1037/hea0000157
Alternate JournalHealth Psychol
PubMed ID25222084
PubMed Central IDPMC4362843
Grant ListP50 DA010075 / DA / NIDA NIH HHS / United States
RC1 AG035645 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
AG035645 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States