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

Emerging adults, particularly university students, who are physically active, drink more than their less physically active peers. We extended this between-person relationship to the within-person level of analysis, by examining whether students are more likely to drink on days when they exercise, and whether this within-person association remains after controlling for potential confounding factors. We also explored the temporal sequence of the physical activity (PA)-alcohol use association. University students (N = 426) completed a 30-day online diary. The small positive within-person association between PA and alcohol use was not retained after controlling for day of the week. However, previous day’s drinking was inversely associated with next day’s PA on weekdays. These findings suggest that the previously reported positive PA-alcohol association does not necessarily align with the within-person daily association. Future studies with more nuanced measurement strategies, such as ecological momentary assessment, are needed to better understand the association between PA and alcohol use.