The Impacts of Supervised Exercise Intervention on Tobacco Withdrawal Symptoms

Abstract

This study examined a supervised moderate-intensity aerobic exercise programme’s effectiveness in regulating the Tobacco Withdrawal Symptoms (TWS) during temporary abstinence. This was a single group, pre and post-quasi intervention study. Thirty daily smokers participated in an 8-week supervised moderate-intensity aerobic exercise programme. We assessed the TWS, smoking urge, mood and stress-pleasure related hormonal variables after the aerobic exercise intervention. The measurements were conducted after overnight abstinence at baseline, post-intervention (at week-8) and post-detraining (at week-10). TWS components, smoking urge and mood were found to improve. For hormonal variables, cortisol and beta-endorphin except adrenaline showed insignificant changes at post-intervention and de-training. The findings suggest moderate-intensity exercise might help in reducing withdrawal symptoms and its adverse effects. Thus, exercise is an effective adjunct treatment in a smoking cessation programme.

The Perceived Benefits and Self-Efficacy of an Exercise Intervention on Tobacco Withdrawal Symptoms: A Qualitative Study Based on the Health Belief Model

“…A systematic review also found that exercise is a useful aid in tobacco control ( 12 ) because it mimics the effects of smoking. Both have similar physiological immediate effects, such as increased blood pressure, heart rate and adrenaline levels ( 13 ). Exercise also produces calmness effects due to beta-endorphin release, which regulates mood and provides euphoria effects ( 14 , 15 ).…”