ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, SEDENTARY, AND SLEEP BEHAVIORS IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

PURPOSE: Excessive alcohol intake has been associated with negative health outcomes, but it is unclear if alcohol consumption is related to the different behaviors (moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary behavior (SED), and total sleep duration) that make up a 24-hour day in university students. The purpose of the study was to examine the associations between alcohol consumption and self-reported MVPA, SED, and sleep in university students. METHODS: University students (n=660, 20.3±1.6 yr, 80% female) completed an online survey to assess demographics, total alcohol consumption per week, Greek Life membership, sleep duration (min/day) via Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, SED (min/day) via Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire, and MVPA (min/day) via Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire. Multiple linear regression was used to examine associations between different alcohol consumption categories (Moderate = Females 1-7 drinks per week, Males 1-14 drinks per week; Heavy = Females > 7 drinks per week, Males > 14 drinks per week) with MVPA, SED, and sleep behaviors adjusting for possible confounding factors (sex, race/ethnicity, BMI, and Greek Life membership). RESULTS: Moderate (β=6.9, p=0.10) and heavy alcohol drinkers (β=6.4, p=0.21) self-reported higher MVPA compared to university students that do not consume alcohol (trend p =0.02). Moderate (β=20.5, p=0.29) and heavy (β=41.5, p=0.27) alcohol drinkers self-reported higher SED compared non-drinkers, although these differences were not statistically significant (trend p=0.17). Moderate (β=0.5, p=0.94) and heavy (β=-5.8 p=0.61) alcohol drinkers had sleep times that were similar to those who reported not consuming alcohol (trend p=0.78). CONCLUSIONS: In this university student sample, alcohol drinkers reported participating in 6-7 additional minutes of MVPA per day than students that reportedly do not drink alcohol. However, only moderate drinkers had statistically significant higher values. While this analysis controlled for several potential confounders, other unmeasured differences between drinkers and non-drinkers may account for the higher MVPA observed among drinkers. Alternatively, alcohol drinking among university students may be a marker for greater engagement in social activities that incorporate MVPA.