Associations of physical activity and sedentary time with craving and mental health in individuals with alcohol use disorder

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment has high rates of relapse. Relapse likelihood is predicted by poor mental health and high alcohol craving. Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time (SED) may be modifiable risk factors of these relapse predictors. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between MVPA and SED with mental health (depression, anxiety and stress) and craving (self-reported and cue-induced) in individuals with AUD.

Cross-sectional data were collected from individuals upon entering AUD treatment (n = 670) in the US. Participants reported demographics, depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), anxiety (Penn State Worry Questionnaire), stress (Perceived Stress Scale-10), MVPA and SED (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-SF). Multiple linear regressions were conducted with MVPA and SED predicting depression, anxiety, and stress, with trend analyses, covarying for demographics and level of care.

As SED decreases and MVPA increases, depression (−6.7 points, p < 0.0001), anxiety (−3.5 points, p = 0.02), and stress scores (−3.1 points, p < 0.001) are reduced. Neither MVPA nor SED were significant predictors of self-reported craving nor cue-induced craving.

High SED and, especially, low MVPA may be behavioral risk factors associated with poor mental health during treatment admission in AUD. Improving engagement with these activity-related behaviors during treatment may have the potential to lead to lower relapse rates.