Open AccessAssociations between alcohol consumption and physical activity in breast cancer survivors
Author(s) -
Jenna D. Gilchrist,
David E. Conroy,
Catherine M. Sabiston
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of behavioral medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.213
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1573-3521
pISSN - 0160-7715
DOI - 10.1007/s10865-019-00114-4
Subject(s) - health psychology , alcohol , breast cancer , medicine , population , odds , alcohol consumption , odds ratio , physical activity , environmental health , cancer , public health , gerontology , physical therapy , logistic regression , pathology , biochemistry , chemistry
Alcohol use and physical inactivity are associated with increased risk of cancer diagnosis and recurrence. Physical activity (a health protective behavior) is positively associated with alcohol use (a health risk behavior) in the general population but has yet to be examined in breast cancer survivors. This study examined associations between weekly alcohol use and physical activity in 197 post-treatment breast cancer survivors (M age = 55.04, SD age = 10.92). Participants wore an accelerometer and provided self-reported alcohol intake for five 7-day waves every 3 months. Survivors who engaged in more light intensity physical activity had increased odds of consuming alcohol (odds ratio = 1.14, p = .02) but did not differ in the amount of alcohol consumed. When promoting physical activity among this population, it is important to consider the increased likelihood of alcohol consumption.