Alcohol use among college athletes: do intercollegiate, club, or intramural student athletes drink differently?

Background: Varsity student athletes are a high-risk drinking group, exhibiting a greater propensity to binge drink than their non-sport peers. Moreover, as intercollegiate athletic involvement increases, so too does alcohol consumption. There is little research, however, which examines drinking behaviors of students who participate in nonvarsity athletics.

Validation of a cardiorespiratory fitness assessment for firefighters.

Currently, a submaximal protocol is used to measure cardiorespiratory fitness in firefighters by estimating their true aerobic capacity (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max); however, this submaximal test has not been cross-validated among firefighters. Thirty firefighters (85% male, 15% female), completed the submaximal protocol and the maximal (Bruce) treadmill protocol on separate occasions. Pearson's correlation analyses between the submaximal and Bruce protocol revealed a significant moderate positive correlation (r = 0.

Gender differences in the associations among body mass index, weight loss, exercise, and drinking among college students.

Objective: To explore gender differences regarding weight management behaviors of college drinkers.

Participants: Nationally representative sample of college students from the fall 2008 American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment II (N = 26,062 students).

Methods: Structural equation modeling was used to examine potential gender differences in associations among exercise, weight loss behaviors, and alcohol use.

Appropriate terminology for the alcohol, eating, and physical activity relationship.

"Drunkorexia" merges prior literature identifying positive relationships between (a) alcohol use/abuse and disordered eating/eating disorders, (b) alcohol use/abuse and physical activity, and (c) disordered eating/eating disorders and physical activity. The term, highlighting an individual's proactive and/or reactive weight management behaviors (ie, disordered eating, physical activity) in relation to alcohol consumption, originated in news editorials and has recently gained recognition via use in scholarly publications. The purpose of this commentary is to recommend discontinuing use of the term "drunkorexia" due to (a) inconsistent definitions of drunkorexia across investigations, (b) drunkorexia being a misnomer, and (c) the medical community's lack of recognition/acceptance of drunkorexia.

The impact of pregaming on subsequent blood alcohol concentrations: an event-level analysis.

Pregaming has been highlighted as an especially deleterious college drinking ritual. The present study assessed (a) event-level associations between pregaming and biologic samples of blood alcohol concentration (BrAC) and (b) the impact of one's alcohol-related behaviors (measured by AUDIT-C scores) on the likelihood that respondents would report pregaming prior to a night out drinking. The sample included adult (n=1029; collegiate and non-college-affiliated) bar patrons in a southeastern college community.

Validity and reliability reporting practices in the field of health education and behavior: a review of seven journals.

Health education and behavior researchers and practitioners often develop, adapt, or adopt surveys/scales to quantify and measure cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and psychosocial characteristics. To ensure the integrity of data collected from these scales, it is vital that psychometric properties (i.e.

The impact of alcohol on Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review.

Currently, there is discrepancy regarding alcohol's impact on Alzheimer's disease (AD). Consequently, the purpose of this systematic review was to determine whether alcohol serves as a protective agent against the development of AD, as well as whether protective effects are influenced by quantity and/or frequency of drinking. Adapted versions of the Matrix Method and PRISMA guidelines were used in order to identify, organize, and synthesize relevant research.

Drunkorexia: understanding the co-occurrence of alcohol consumption and eating/exercise weight management behaviors.

Objective: Examine the co-occurrence of alcohol consumption, physical activity, and disordered eating behaviors via a drunkorexia perspective.

Participants: Nationally representative sample (n = 22,488) of college students completing the Fall 2008 National College Health Assessment.

Methods: Hierarchical logistic regression was employed to determine if physical activity and disordered eating behaviors uniquely predicted binge drinking, while controlling for age, race, gender, year in college, Greek membership, and place of residence.

Examining physical activity levels and alcohol consumption: are people who drink more active?

Objective: Summarize/categorize current scientific literature examining the association between alcohol consumption (AC) and levels of physical activity (PA).

Data Source: Electronic databases spanning education, psychology, sociology, medicine, and interdisciplinary reports.

Study Inclusion And Exclusion Criteria: Included studies (n =17) must be published in a peer-reviewed, English language journal; measure either AC or PA as an independent/dependent variable; and primarily examine the relationship between AC and PA.