Abstract
Introduction Although smoking urges have been demonstrated to vary by gender and also be influenced by exercise, it is unknown if exercise has a differential effect on smoking urges by gender. This study aimed to explore gender-specific effects of an acute bout of exercise on cessation-related symptoms in men and women smokers during acute abstinence. Methods We enrolled smokers (≥ 5 cigarettes/day) who were 18–40 years old for a study on exercise and smoking behavior. Participants abstained from smoking for at least 3 h, prior to measurement of their maximal oxygen consumption tested, which was the acute bout of exercise. Prior to and after the exercise, participants completed the Questionnaire of Smoking Urges – Brief and the Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale. Results Participants (n = 38; 61% women) were, on average, 30.0 ± 0.9 years old and smoked 13.0 ± 0.8 cigarettes/day. All measured aspects of cessation-related symptoms significantly improved after the exercise in both men and women. In women there was a significant decline in anticipated relief from negative affect after the exercise (women: − 0.45 ± 0.20, p = 0.0322; men: − 0.41 ± 0.26, p = 0.1312). In men there was a significant decline in the intention to smoke after the exercise (men: − 0.77 ± 0.23, p = 0.0053; women: − 0.66 ± 0.37, p = 0.0909). Conclusions An acute bout of exercise reduced smoking urges in both men and women smokers during an acute state of abstinence. Additional research is needed to replicate these observations in a larger, more diverse sample, and to explore the implication of these observations on cessation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 34-37 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Addictive Behaviors |
Volume | 77 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2018 |
Keywords
- Craving
- Exercise
- Gender
- Smoking urges
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Clinical Psychology
- Toxicology
- Psychiatry and Mental health