Recent Cannabis Use and Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Among Young-to-Midlife Adults: An Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2014

Introduction: Cannabis use has been associated with reduced physical activity and increased sedentary behavior in adolescents. In adults, however, there is no conclusive evidence of such an association, and existing studies have primarily relied on self-reported activity measures. As cannabis use increases globally, a deeper understanding of its relationship with activity levels may inform clinical counseling and guidelines. This study investigated the association between recent cannabis use and accelerometer-measured activity.

Methods: Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2014. We included adults in the United States who responded to a cannabis questionnaire and had at least 4 days of activity data from an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer, which comprised participants from 18 to 59 years. The primary exposure was any self-reported cannabis use in the past 30 days. The primary outcome was daily sedentary time and secondary outcomes were daily light physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Analyses were performed with multivariable quasi-Poisson regression models.

Results: Of 4666 included adults, 658 (14.1%) reported recent cannabis use. After covariate adjustment, recent cannabis use was not associated with daily sedentary time (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.98-1.01) or daily MVPA time (aIRR 1.01, 95% CI: 0.98-1.04). Daily LPA time was 4% greater with recent cannabis use (aIRR 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.06).

Conclusion: Recent cannabis use in young to midlife adults was not associated with accelerometer-measured sedentary or MVPA time, but it was associated with a marginal increase in LPA time of unclear clinical significance. Our findings provide evidence against existing concerns that cannabis use independently promotes sedentary behavior and decreases physical activity. Future prospective studies are needed to determine if these findings generalize to specific populations using cannabis including chronic pain patients.