Positive Affect and Health Behaviors Across 5 Years in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease: The Heart and Soul Study

Psychosom Med. 2015 Nov-Dec;77(9):1058-66. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000238.

Abstract

Objectives: Positive psychological states are linked to superior health and longevity, possibly due to behavioral factors. We evaluated cross-sectional and 5-year associations between positive affect and health behaviors in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: Outpatients with CHD reported positive affect, physical activity, sleep quality, medication adherence, cigarette smoking, and alcohol use at baseline (n = 1022) and 5 years later (n = 662). Covariates in regression analyses included demographics, cardiac disease severity, and depressive symptoms.

Results: At baseline, higher positive affect (per 1 standard deviation) was associated with better health behaviors: physical activity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.52, 95% 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.30-1.77, p < .001), sleep quality (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.04-1.48, p = .015), medication adherence (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.12-1.90, p = .005), and nonsmoking (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.06-1.57, p = .012), but was unrelated to alcohol use. Baseline positive affect did not predict health behaviors at follow-up, accounting for baseline behaviors. However, increases in positive affect across 5 years co-occurred with improvements in physical activity (B = 0.023, standard error [SE] = 0.008, p = .002), sleep quality (B = 0.011, SE = 0.005, p = .039), and medication adherence (B = 0.014, SE = 0.004, p < .001), but not smoking status (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.73-1.55, p = .74).

Conclusions: Positive affect was associated with health behaviors among patients with CHD. Efforts to sustain or enhance positive affect may be promising for promoting better health behaviors.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Affect*
  • Aged
  • Alcohol Drinking / epidemiology
  • Comorbidity
  • Coronary Disease / psychology*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Depression / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Health Behavior*
  • Humans
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Medication Adherence
  • Middle Aged
  • Motor Activity
  • Prospective Studies
  • Sleep
  • Smoking / epidemiology
  • United States / epidemiology