Exercise effects on withdrawal and mood among women attempting smoking cessation

This study investigated both acute and longer term ("chronic") effects of v igorous exercise training on affect, nicotine withdrawal, and cigarette cra ving among women enrolled in a smoking cessation research study. All subjec ts participated in a 12-week cognitive behavioral smoking cessation program and were randomly assigned to attend three sessions per week of either a v igorous exercise program or contact control. Measures of positive and negat ive affect, cigarette craving, and nicotine withdrawal were administered im mediately before, and again immediately after the final exercise or contact session each week of the program. Study I enrolled 24 women who had been a ssigned to the exercise condition. Significant reductions in negative affec t, nicotine withdrawal and cigarette craving were observed following exerci se most weeks of the program. No significant changes in positive affect wer e observed. In Study II this protocol was repeated among 62 women (44 exerc ise, 18 contact control) in two consecutive cohorts of the larger study. Si gnificant reduction were observed in negative affect, nicotine withdrawal a nd cigarette craving during most weeks of the program among exercise subjec ts but not contact condition subjects. No chronic (baseline to posttreatmen t) changes in positive or negative affect, cigarette craving or withdrawal symptoms were observed in either study. Vigorous exercise appears to produc e acute improvements in withdrawal symptoms, cigarette craving, and negativ e affect among sedentary women attempting to quit smoking. (C) 1999 Elsevie r Science Ltd.