CROSS-SECTIONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIET AND PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY IN 2 SOUTHEASTERN NEW-ENGLAND COMMUNITIES

The hypothesis that health promotive diets associated with higher leve ls of habitual physical activity confound the relationship between reg ular physical activity and health has not been well explored in epidem iologic studies. We evaluated self-reported physical activity, Willett Food Frequency dietary data, sociodemographic and physiologic factors cross-sectionally for 2,004 household survey participants in two sout heastern New England communities. We compared the dietary habits of se dentary participants (n = 964) to those of moderately active (n = 600) and very active (n = 440) participants after adjusting for age, gende r, education, smoking status, year of survey, and total calories. Our results showed that moderately active and very active participants con sumed more fiber, less total fat, and less saturated fat than sedentar y participants (P < .01). They also consumed more vitamins (A, C, D, E ), beta carotene, and calcium, (P < .01), and ate more fruits and vege tables (P < .001) than sedentary participants. We found these relation ships in both New England communities studied. This association betwee n regular physical activity and diet suggests that the relationship of habitual physical activity and chronic disease may be confounded by d iet.