Daily- and Person-Level Associations Between Physical Activity and Alcohol Use Among College Students

Subjective and Behavioral Impulsivity Differentially Moderate Within- and Between-Person Associations Between Physical Activity and Alcohol Consumption

OBJECTIVE

Evidence indicates a counterintuitive positive relationship between physical activity and alcohol consumption, suggesting that people who engage in more physical activity consume more alcohol. Impulsivity, which has a well-documented role in alcohol use disorders, has been shown to moderate the between-person physical activity-drinking association among emerging adults. However, only a handful of studies have explored within-person associations of physical activity and drinking and potential moderators of this relationship. The current study evaluated the effects of both subjective and behavioral impulsivity on the within- and between-person association between physical activity and alcohol consumption among college students.

METHOD

Undergraduate students (N = 250) between ages 18 and 25 years were asked to report their daily physical activity and drinking over 21 days. Physical activity was also recorded objectively through Pacer, a smartphone app. Subjective impulsivity was assessed using the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, and behavioral impulsivity was evaluated using the Balloon Analogue Risk Task.

RESULTS

Within- and between-subject physical activity-drinking associations were differentially moderated by behavioral impulsivity and self-reported impulsivity. For instance, behavioral impulsivity moderated the within-person association between drinking and self-reported vigorous physical activity, whereas negative urgency moderated the between-person association between drinking and objective physical activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Impulsivity, whether measured subjectively or behaviorally, significantly moderates the physical activity-alcohol consumption association. Importantly, this effect operates differently when predicting variation in behavior within individuals as compared with predicting differences in behavior between individuals.

Daily wellness behaviors in college students across a school year

Objective: To establish the prevalence of mood and wellness behaviors in college students across a school year. Methods: 1,554 college students (69.4% female; average age 18.8 years) were followed with daily surveys on wellness behaviors for the school year. 1,207 participants completed at least 50% of daily surveys on mood, exercise, sleep, nutrition, mindfulness practice and singing/playing musical instrument. Results: Over 88.7% of college students reported at least one wellness behavior each day with 17.7% reporting 4 or more. Each of the wellness behaviors, however, displayed distinct prevalence patterns, varied significantly across the school year, and often across a given school week. Almost every individual wellness behavior was associated with a positive mood, and the cumulative number of daily wellness behaviors was a strongly associated with mood state. Conclusions: Daily wellness behaviors are collectively common, vary significantly within individuals, and are strongly associated with positive mood, both individual and cumulatively.

Daily Exercise and Alcohol Use Among Young Adult College Students

The present study examined associations between exercise and alcohol use at the between- and within-person levels, including temporal sequencing and the impact of gender. Participants were 221 college students that completed an online survey and 14 daily surveys assessing their daily exercise and alcohol use. Individuals who reported higher exercise scores also consumed more alcohol, on average. On days when individuals reported consuming fewer drinks than usual, they also reported greater exercise scores. Individuals reported lower exercise scores following a day with heavier alcohol use than usual or a day with heavy episodic drinking. Exercise was unassociated with next-day alcohol use. There were mixed findings on the impact of gender. Exercise may have a more proximal influence on drinking. Exercise interventions for alcohol use could target days with higher probabilities of drinking to reduce levels of alcohol use among college students.

Study protocol: One plus one can be greater than two-Ecological momentary assessment for Black prostate cancer survivors and partners

Given that romantic partners play a pivotal role in patients' survivorship period, integrating partners into survivorship care and broadening the focus of behavioral interventions from the individual (survivor) to the survivor-partner dyad may make healthy lifestyle behaviors more easily adopted and potentially maintained. Understanding the role of dyadic processes in Black survivors is particularly important because their lifestyle behaviors are poor and they have higher cancer-specific and all-cause mortality. To develop an effective dyadic lifestyle behavior intervention for Black survivors, micro-level investigations of interactions between Black survivors and their partners are necessary to pinpoint how survivors and partners facilitate or hinder each other's lifestyle behaviors in their natural, everyday lives. Accordingly, the objective of the present study is to fill these gaps using ecological momentary assessment to eventually develop more effective lifestyle interventions for Black prostate cancer (PCa) survivors and partners. A total of 120 dyads (i.e., 240 individuals) who are Black adult survivors diagnosed with non-metastatic PCa and their romantic partners will be asked to complete four assessments per day for 14 consecutive days on a smartphone after an initial retrospective survey. Over the 14 days, participants will be asked to complete a brief survey regarding their lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, sedentariness and eating behaviors), contexts of lifestyle behaviors, stress, and coping. Physical activity and sedentary behavior will be assessed via accelerometer; eating behaviors will be assessed with the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool. After completing the 14-day assessment, participants will be asked to complete a final retrospective survey. Results of the proposed study will inform the rigorous development of a theory-based dyadic lifestyle intervention in this vulnerable survivorship population with the ultimate goal to improve overall survival and reduce morbidities (for survivors) and reduce cancer incidence (for partners).

Alcohol Use as a Function of Physical Activity and Golfing Motives in a National Sample of United States Golfers

Alcohol and physical inactivity are risk factors for a variety of cancer types. However, alcohol use often co-occurs with physical activity (PA), which could mitigate the cancer-prevention benefits of PA. Alcohol is integrated into the culture of one of the most popular physical activities for adults in the United States (U.S.), golf. This study examined how alcohol use was associated with total PA, golf-specific PA, and motives for golfing in a national sample of golfers in the U.S. Adult golfers (n = 338; 51% male, 81% White, 46 ± 14.4 years) self-reported alcohol use, golfing behavior and motives, and PA. Most (84%) golfers consumed alcohol, averaging 7.91 servings/week. Golf participation, including days/week, holes/week, and practice hours/week, was not associated with alcohol use. Golfers with stronger social motives were 60% more likely to consume alcohol. Weekly walking (incident risk ratio (IRR) = 7.30), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA; IRR = 5.04), and total PA (IRR = 4.14) were associated with more alcohol servings/week. Golfers' alcohol use may be higher than the general adult population in the U.S. and contributes 775 extra kilocalories/week, a surplus that may offset PA-related energy expenditure and cancer-protective effects. Alcohol use interventions targeting golfers may facilitate weight loss and reduce cancer risk, especially for golfers motivated by social status.

Daily physical activity and alcohol use among young adults

Evidence suggests that physical activity and alcohol use are positively related among young adults. Two studies have examined daily relations, and results have shown conflicting findings. We examined relations between physical activity and alcohol use at both within- and between-individual levels and investigated moderators of the relation at both levels. 269 college students wore accelerometers to collect physical activity data over a 2-week period. At the end of each day, they indicated whether or not they drank alcohol. Multilevel logistic regression indicated neither within- nor between-subject relations were statistically significant. Positive affect, negative affect, and drinking motives moderated these relations at the between-subject level. Contrary to previous research, we did not observe a relation between physical activity and alcohol use at the daily level. Unique features of the current study suggest next steps for future research examining the perplexing PA-alcohol relation in this population.

Exercise-driven restoration of the alcohol-damaged brain

There are vast literatures on the neural effects of alcohol and the neural effects of exercise. Simply put, exercise is associated with brain health, alcohol is not, and the mechanisms by which exercise benefits the brain directly counteract the mechanisms by which alcohol damages it. Although a degree of brain recovery naturally occurs upon cessation of alcohol consumption, effective treatments for alcohol-induced brain damage are badly needed, and exercise is an excellent candidate from a mechanistic standpoint. In this chapter, we cover the small but growing literature on the interactive neural effects of alcohol and exercise, and the capacity of exercise to repair alcohol-induced brain damage. Increasingly, exercise is being used as a component of treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUD), not because it reverses alcohol-induced brain damage, but because it represents a rewarding, alcohol-free activity that could reduce alcohol cravings and improve comorbid conditions such as anxiety and depression. It is important to bear in mind, however, that multiple studies attest to a counterintuitive positive relationship between alcohol intake and exercise. We therefore conclude with cautionary notes regarding the use of exercise to repair the brain after alcohol damage.

Multiple Health Behaviors Engagement in an African American Cohort: Clustering Patterns and Correlates

We investigated class clustering patterns of four behaviors—physical activity, fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, smoking, and alcohol use—in a faith-based African American cohort. Guided by socio-ecological models, we also examined the psychosocial and neighborhood social environmental factors associated with the clustering patterns. Participants were 1,467 African American adults recruited from a mega church in the metropolitan Houston, TX, in 2008-2009. They completed a survey and health assessment. Latent class analysis and multinomial regression analysis were conducted. Results supported a three-class model: Class 1 was characterized by low physical activity, low F&V intake, and low substance use (smoking and alcohol use). Class 2 was characterized by high physical activity, low F&V intake, and mild drinking. Class 3 seemed to be the healthiest group, characterized by high physical activity, moderate-to-high F&V intake, and low substance use. The probabilities of being included in Classes 1, 2, and 3 were .33, .48, and .19, respectively. Participants in Class 1 (vs. Class 3) reported lower physical activity norm ( p < .001) and higher smoking norm ( p = .002) and lower neighborhood social cohesion ( p = .031). Participants in Class 2 (vs. Class 3) reported higher cancer risk perception ( p < .001), lower F&V norm ( p = .022), lower physical activity norm ( p < .001), higher smoking norm ( p < .001), and lower social cohesion ( p = .047). As health behaviors are clustered together, future interventions for African Americans may consider targeting multiple health behaviors instead of targeting a single health behavior. Interventions addressing social norm and neighborhood social cohesion may enhance multiple health behaviors engagement in this population.