Does participation in voluntary organizations protect against risky alcohol and tobacco use? Findings from the UK panel data.

Maria K Pavlova,Maike Luhmann,Matthias Lühr

doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.100885

Abstract

Drawing on the literature that posits heterogeneous influences of social networks on health behaviors, we tested whether different forms of participation in voluntary organizations predicted more or less alcohol and tobacco consumption over time. (Access preregistration at https://osf.io/guzem/) We used panel data from younger (aged 14–29 at baseline), middle-aged (aged 40–50), and older (aged 65–75) UK adults, Ns = 1280–9073, followed from 1991 to 2014. Annual measures of smoking included status and intensity. Frequency of pub attendance was assessed biennially between 1996 and 2008. In 2010 and 2013, more precise measures of alcohol consumption were available. We conducted two-level regression analyses for the outcomes measured more than twice and residual change analyses for other outcomes. Over time (within persons), there were no significant effects on smoking. Activity in voluntary organizations predicted slightly less frequent pub attendance in younger adults. In residual change analyses, activity in voluntary organizations decreased last-week ethanol consumption and risk of heavy episodic drinking in younger women. These effects pertained mainly to service-orientated organizations. In middle-aged adults, membership and attendance at meetings of voluntary organizations predicted slightly more frequent pub attendance. Residual change analyses showed volunteering to reduce the risk of heavy episodic drinking in middle-aged men. In older adults, few significant effects emerged. Between persons, all indicators of participation were associated with less smoking, whereas membership was associated with more and activity with less frequent pub attendance. Thus, most associations between participation in voluntary organizations and substance use reflected interindividual differences.

Highlights

Substance use habits develop, persist, and dissolve in the context of social relationships and interactions (Galea et al, 2004; Skog, 1985; Umberson et al, 2010)
The volunteer role contributes to better social integration, which may directly protect against risky substance use via more specific pathways of social control and engagement (Berkman et al, 2000; Cohen, 2004; Villalonga-Olives and Kawachi, 2017)
Within-person effects Effect sizes for the predictors of interest are summarized in Tables 2 and 3, whereas online Appendix A shows full results from multilevel regression analyses. (The formulae for calculating probability differences are presented in online Appendix E.) Across age groups, the probability of being a smoker and smoking intensity generally decreased over time, which was in line with prior research (Yong et al, 2012)

Summary

Introduction

Persist, and dissolve in the context of social relationships and interactions (Galea et al, 2004; Skog, 1985; Umberson et al, 2010). Individuals who are more engaged in the society may be more likely to adjust their substance use habits to prevailing social norms (Villalonga-Olives and Kawachi, 2017). The volunteer role contributes to better social integration, which may directly protect against risky substance use via more specific pathways of social control and engagement (Berkman et al, 2000; Cohen, 2004; Villalonga-Olives and Kawachi, 2017). Volunteering may invoke the mechanism of social support, which is known to facilitate adaptive coping with stress and prevent turning to substance use as a coping strategy (Berkman et al, 2000; Cohen, 2004). Many cross-sectional and some longitudinal studies found protective effects of volunteering against alcohol abuse, tobacco smoking, and marijuana use in youth

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