TitlePositive Affect and Health Behaviors Across 5 Years in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease: The Heart and Soul Study.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2015
AuthorsSin, NL, Moskowitz, JTedlie, Whooley, MA
JournalPsychosom Med
Volume77
Issue9
Pagination1058-66
Date Published2015 Nov-Dec
ISSN1534-7796
KeywordsAffect, Aged, Alcohol Drinking, Comorbidity, Coronary Disease, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depression, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Health Behavior, Humans, Logistic Models, Male, Medication Adherence, Middle Aged, Motor Activity, Prospective Studies, Sleep, Smoking, United States
Abstract

<p><b>OBJECTIVES: </b>Positive psychological states are linked to superior health and longevity, possibly due to behavioral factors. We evaluated cross-sectional and 5-year associations between positive affect and health behaviors in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>Outpatients with CHD reported positive affect, physical activity, sleep quality, medication adherence, cigarette smoking, and alcohol use at baseline (n = 1022) and 5 years later (n = 662). Covariates in regression analyses included demographics, cardiac disease severity, and depressive symptoms.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>At baseline, higher positive affect (per 1 standard deviation) was associated with better health behaviors: physical activity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.52, 95% 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.30-1.77, p < .001), sleep quality (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.04-1.48, p = .015), medication adherence (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.12-1.90, p = .005), and nonsmoking (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.06-1.57, p = .012), but was unrelated to alcohol use. Baseline positive affect did not predict health behaviors at follow-up, accounting for baseline behaviors. However, increases in positive affect across 5 years co-occurred with improvements in physical activity (B = 0.023, standard error [SE] = 0.008, p = .002), sleep quality (B = 0.011, SE = 0.005, p = .039), and medication adherence (B = 0.014, SE = 0.004, p < .001), but not smoking status (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.73-1.55, p = .74).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>Positive affect was associated with health behaviors among patients with CHD. Efforts to sustain or enhance positive affect may be promising for promoting better health behaviors.</p>

DOI10.1097/PSY.0000000000000238
Alternate JournalPsychosom Med
PubMed ID26428445
PubMed Central IDPMC4643380
Grant ListT32AG000212 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL079235 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
F32AG048698 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
T32 AG000212 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
F32 AG048698 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
K24 MH093225 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL-079235 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States