Increasing Physical Activity to Aid Smoking Cessation

Trial Information

Increasing Physical Activity to Aid Smoking Cessation

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States, with
cigarette smoking accounting for nearly one-third of all cancer deaths each year. While a
number of inexpensive and effective smoking cessation methods exist, including the nicotine
patch and nicotine gum, smoking rates have not declined in the past few years. Individuals
who engage in regular exercise, in addition to participating in a smoking cessation program,
are often successful at quitting smoking and reducing post-cessation weight gain. However,
past studies on this topic have consisted of highly structured, supervised physical
activity, which made study recruitment and long-term adherence difficult. Additionally,
these studies generally have had low long-term quit rates, which may be attributed to the
lack of a nicotine replacement component. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the
effectiveness of a community-based physical activity intervention, in combination with a
behavioral smoking cessation program and nicotine replacement, at increasing smoking
cessation rates among sedentary adult smokers.

This 7-week study will enroll sedentary or minimally active cigarette smokers. All
participants will take part in a behavioral smoking cessation program and will wear a
nicotine patch. In addition, they will be randomly assigned to take part in either a
community-based physical activity intervention or a wellness control group intervention. All
participants will attend sixteen 60- to 90-minute face-to-face counseling sessions and
twelve 20-minute telephone counseling sessions. They will also receive twelve informational
mailings. Participants in the physical activity intervention will focus on increasing
physical activity; the general wellness control group will receive information on general
health topics. Outcome measures, including smoking status, physical activity levels, and
body mass index, will be assessed at the end of the intervention and at 6- and 12-month
follow-up visits.