Physical activity as a moderator of the association between anxiety sensitivity and binge eating

Abstract

Individuals with elevated anxiety sensitivity (AS; i.e., fear of somatic arousal) may binge eat to reduce emotional distress. Because physical activity reduces stress reactivity, we predicted that: (1) the relation between AS and binge eating would be moderated by physical activity and (2) coping motives for eating would mediate the association between AS and binge eating such that the relation would be stronger for those low in physical activity. Participants (N=167) completed online self-report measures. Regression analyses revealed that moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA) moderated the relation between AS and binge eating such that AS was not related to binge eating among those who frequently engaged in MPA but was related to binge eating among those who did not report engaging in MPA. Vigorous-intensity physical activity (VPA) moderated in the opposite direction such that the relation between AS and binge eating was significant among persons reporting high levels of VPA but less strong among persons reporting low levels of VPA. The mediation model was also significant, but was not moderated by MPA or VPA. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: Ms. DeBoer, Ms. Tart, Dr. Presnell, Dr. Powers, and Dr. Baldwin report no financial relationships with commercial interests. Dr. Smits is currently supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grants R01DA027533 and R34DA031038, and receives royalties from Oxford University Press. During the past 3 years, he has received grant support from Organon/Schering-Plough (now Merck). The content of this report is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) or the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Figures

Fig. 1

Study hypothesis.

Fig. 2

The relation between AS and binge eating frequency for those with high levels (1.5 SD above mean; ∼567 min/week) of MPA versus those who do not engage in any MPA (a), and the relation between AS and binge eating for those with high levels (1.5 SD above mean; ∼528 min/week) of VPA versus those who do not engage in VPA (b).