Physical activity, posttraumatic stress, and gender: A longitudinal study of post-9/11 veterans

Given the importance of physical activity (PA) for both physical and mental health, the present study characterizes post-9/11 veterans' leisure-time PA engagement over time. Further, this study examines the relationship between PA and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), as well as whether this relation differs by gender and time since military discharge. This study was a secondary analysis of a 12-month longitudinal observational investigation of 410 (39.5% female) post-9/11 veterans. Participants completed self-report questionnaires at baseline and 12 months. Over a third of post-9/11 veterans were not engaging in any weekly leisure-time PA at study baseline and PA engagement significantly decreased in the subsequent year. The longitudinal relationship between PA and PTSS depended on both gender and time since military discharge. These results underscore the importance of considering both gender and time since discharge when tailoring interventions to support leisure-time PA as a key health habit in post-9/11 veterans.