EXERCISE ENHANCES THE MAINTENANCE OF SMOKING CESSATION IN WOMEN

We examined the effects of physical exercise on smoking relapse. Twent y previously sedentary female smokers were randomly assigned to smokin g cessation plus exercise or smoking cessation with frequency contact control. The smoking cessation program included 12 professionally led sessions over 12 weeks. Exercise treatment included three supervised e xercise sessions per week for 15 weeks. Contact control included three women's health/wellness lectures per week for 15 weeks. Smoking absti nence was validated by carbon monoxide and saliva cotinine. Mean exerc ise attendance for exercise subjects was 88% with an increase in estim ated VO2 of 25%. The percentage of subjects who quit for 24 hours was 80% for the exercise and 90% for the contact group. One subject in the contact group remained abstinent at the end of the 12-week treatment and at 1-, 3-, and 12-month follow-ups, whereas three subjects in the exercise group were abstinent at these time points. These results sugg est that exercise training improves short-term quit rates and may prov e a useful strategy for long-term maintenance of smoking cessation.