The association between habitual physical activity and cigarette cravings, and influence of smokers’ characteristics in disadvantaged smokers not ready to quit

Abstract

RationaleHabitual physical activity (PA) may have an important role in suppressing cigarette cravings. Systematic reviews show a strong acute effect of bouts of PA on reducing cigarette cravings, and it may be that these effects accumulate.ObjectivesThe aim was to investigate the relationship between habitual levels of PA and cigarette cravings in disadvantaged smokers not ready to quit by examining baseline cross-sectional data from the Exercise Assisted Reduction then Stop smoking study (EARS).MethodsA series of linear regression models were applied to investigate the relationship between habitual PA and cigarette cravings and to identify additional predictors of cigarette cravings. The analyses were extended by including interaction terms with PA to identify potential moderators of the relationship between PA and cravings.ResultsA higher level of moderate intensity PA was associated with lower cravings (p = 0.033). Additional predictors were the mood and physical symptoms scale (p = 0.007; higher scores were associated with higher cravings) and alcohol consumption (p = 0.002; higher consumption was associated with lower cravings). In addition, a moderation effect of alcohol consumption was found; at higher levels of alcohol consumption, higher PA was significantly associated with higher cravings (p = 0.023).ConclusionsOverall, participation in regular PA is associated with reduced cigarette cravings; among those with heavy alcohol consumption, this participation is associated with higher cravings. These exploratory analyses suggest that further research into the relationship between PA, alcohol consumption and cigarette cravings is needed.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00213-016-4326-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Using Mobile Health Tools to Assess Physical Activity Guideline Adherence and Smoking Urges: Secondary Analysis of mActive-Smoke

“…This study also addresses the recall bias in prior studies on physical activity and smoking urges. For example, Haasova et al [12] showed that more habitual MVPA minutes based on 7-day activity recall significantly correlated with decreased urge over the past 7 days in 98 smokers. The difference between results from this 7-day recall study and our analysis suggests that the prevalence of MVPA and granularity of data are important factors to consider in studies on physical activity and smoking urge.…”

“…Although there is insufficient evidence to recommend exercise as an aid for smoking cessation [7,9], previous meta-analyses suggested that acute bouts of exercise decrease urges, with activities at moderate to vigorous intensity having the greatest effect [10,11]. In addition, a study on active smokers found that a higher level of habitual MVPA was significantly associated with lower smoking urges [12]. However, this study used 7-day physical activity recall for assessing the levels of MVPA, leading to potential recall bias.…”

Perfil Do Estilo De Vida Individual De Praticantes De Musculação

“…Dentre essas exposições, podemos citar: o uso de cinto de segurança e a forma de dirigir (SANTOS; ANDRADE; MARTINS, 2017); cuidados com o tabagismo (HAASOVA et al, 2016); o equilíbrio durante o consumo de bebidas alcoólicas (LA FAUCI et al, 2019); e a conscientização do controle da pressão arterial e do colesterol (PIO-ABREU; DRAGER, 2020; RODRIGUES, FERNANDES; DELGADO, 2020). No quarto componente, encontramos o domínio relacionamento social.…”

mActive-Smoke: A Prospective Observational Study Using Mobile Health Tools to Assess the Association of Physical Activity With Smoking Urges

“…Regarding the scope of measurement, these studies only assessed acute effects of exercise on smoking urges, leaving uncertainty around the longitudinal association. Several studies exploring longer-term associations between PA and smoking behaviors [ 24 - 30 ] showed that exercise improved follow-up abstinence rates [ 24 , 26 , 27 ], increased time until next cigarette [ 30 ], led to reductions in smoking and cravings [ 25 , 29 ], and was associated with lower smoking intensity and reduced likelihood of smoking [ 28 ]. However, both smoking behaviors and PA measures in these studies were primarily obtained through self-assessment and recall, thus rendering these data susceptible to bias [ 31 , 32 ].…”