title: Reported alcohol use and behavior in long-distance runners.
abstract: Because alcohol may impair sports performance, we hypothesized there would be less drinking in serious recreational runners. We used mailed questionnaires to examine drinking patterns (2-wk quantity/frequency), scores on modified versions of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (brief MAST [BMAST], short MAST [SMAST]), and parental history of problem drinking in 397 men and 144 women runners participating in a 20-mile race, compared with a nonexercising control population of 138 men and 119 women. A subset of 188 pairs (104 men, 84 women) were matched for gender, age, educational level, and marital status. We used chi-square analysis, paired t-test, and ANOVA. Male gender, running, and a family history for problem drinking predicted increased total alcohol consumption. We found that male runners (vs male controls) drank more 14.2 +/- 19.6 vs 5.4 +/- 7.6 drinks.wk-2, P = 0.004) and felt guilty about their drinking (26.6% vs 13.8%, P < 0.01). Men and women runners reported more occasions of drinking than matched controls (2.8 +/- 2.7 vs 2.0 +/- 2.3.wk-2, P = 0.004). Runners with scores on the BMAST (> or = 6) or SMAST (> or = 3) suggestive of a history of problem drinking drank less than controls with a similar score. Contrary to our hypothesis, running is associated with increased alcohol consumption, except in those who report a history of problem alcohol behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gutgesell
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Timmerman
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D012420:Running / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires