Understanding physical activity outcomes as a function of teen smoking cessation

Recent evidence suggests physical activity may be protective against smoking initiation and increased smoking among youth. The present study explored the effects of a teen smoking cessation intervention supplemented with a physical activity module on participants' physical activity outcomes. A secondary aim examined the relationship between participants' physical activity outcomes and postprogram smoking intensity.

The study reports primary data from a 3-arm randomized group trial consistent with CONSORT guidelines (Registry # NCT01242657).

Public high schools (N = 19) in West Virginia.

Teens aged 14-19 years (N = 233) who reported current smoking, ≥1 cigarette in the past 30 days.

High schools were randomly selected, then randomly assigned to Brief Intervention (standard of care), Not-On-Tobacco (N-O-T, teen cessation program), or N-O-T plus a physical activity module (N-O-T+FIT).

Standardized instruments at baseline and end of treatment/3-months postbaseline measured physical activity outcomes. The study assessed smoking intensity using cigarettes smoked per day. We conducted ANCOVA controlling for school-level variance to measure physical activity changes. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses explored favorable change influence of physical activity on smoking cessation outcomes, controlling for potential clustering.

Teens who increased the number of days on which they received at least 20 minutes of exercise were significantly more likely to reduce their daily cigarette use, with those in the N-O-T+FIT condition having the highest likelihood of reducing smoking. Teens in the N-O-T+FIT condition who increased the number of days on which they received at least 30 minutes of exercise were significantly more likely than those in other groups to quit smoking.

Findings suggest that it is possible to alter simultaneously more than one health behavior among teens-favorable changes in physical activity and smoking cessation may be particularly compatible targets for dual behavior change.