Abstract C087: The relationship between alcohol, physical activity, and obesity in Mexican-origin adults
Authors: Heredia Natalia I , Dong Qiong , Chang Shine , McNeill Lorna H 
Published: September 2020

Background. Alcohol intake, lack of physical activity (PA), and obesity are risk factors for liver cancer. Although studies indicate that PA and alcohol intake are positively associated with one another, this relationship is less studied in Hispanics, who have the highest rates of liver cancer in the U.S. Furthermore, the relationship between alcohol intake and obesity is nuanced, with current drinkers having lower risk of obesity than never drinkers. The first aim of this study was to assess the relationship between alcohol intake and PA in Hispanic adults; secondary aims were to assess the effects of PA and alcohol on body mass index (BMI) and assess differences by gender and country of birth. Methods. We used data from the Mano a Mano Cohort, a cohort of Mexican-origin individuals living in the greater Houston area, for individuals recruited since 2012. Data included self-reported PA, alcohol intake (never, former, and current drinker), and demographic characteristics; trained field staff measured BMI. PA was categorized as high (≥1500 MET minutes/week), moderate (≥600 MET minutes/week) or low. We used logistic regression to assess the association between PA and alcohol intake with BMI, including an interaction term. Results. This sample (n=3,899) had an average age of 49, were mostly women, and had not attained a high school degree. Most were obese (60%) and never drinkers (67%). Never drinkers had more individuals with low (42%) than moderate (32%) or high levels of PA (26%). Current drinkers had more individuals achieving high PA (32%) than either never (26%) or former drinkers (24%). Obese, compared to non-obese, individuals did less PA and had a greater proportion of never drinkers. High PA was protective against obesity in the full sample (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]=0.81, 95%CI: 0.68-0.95, p&lt;.05), in females (AOR=0.73, 95%CI: 0.60-0.89, p&lt;.01), and in Mexican-born individuals (AOR=0.79, 95%CI: 0.66-0.95, p&lt;.05). Current drinking was protective against obesity in Mexican-born individuals (AOR=0.77, 95%CI: 0.61-0.97, p&lt;.05), and was associated with significantly lower BMI in the full sample, males, and Mexican-born individuals. Among never drinkers, compared to those with low PA, those with high PA were significantly less likely to be obese (AOR=0.79, 95%CI: 0.65-0.96, p&lt;.05). The only significant interaction between PA and alcohol use was in male never drinkers; as compared to those with low PA, those with high PA had significantly higher BMI (Beta=2.67, 95%CI: 1.02-4.32, p&lt;.01). Conclusions. In this study of Mexican-origin adults, both high PA and current drinking were independently protective against obesity. However, for the full sample and most sub-groups, never drinkers with high PA were the only group significantly protected against obesity. The difference in the independent and interaction results illustrates the importance of evaluating multiple risk behaviors together to inform liver cancer prevention efforts in Mexican-origin adults.

Citation Format: Natalia I Heredia, Qiong Dong, Shine Chang, Lorna H McNeill. The relationship between alcohol, physical activity, and obesity in Mexican-origin adults [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr C087.