NCT02181179

Examining Yoga's Effects on Smoking

Examining Yoga's Effects on Aspects Related to Stress and Smoking Behavior

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 50 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Texas at Austin · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The primary aim of this research study is to examine the effects of an 8-week yoga program on aspects related to nicotine dependence, stress, and coping during a smoking quit attempt. Guided by initial studies reporting on the effects of yoga on putative mediators of smoking relapse (i.e., cortisol, distress intolerance, withdrawal symptoms), the proposed experiment examines the effects of an 8-week yoga practice on nicotine withdrawal intensity by way of aiding withdrawal characteristics predictive of smoking relapse. The long-term objectives of the proposed line of research are to: (1) inform theoretical models of nicotine withdrawal, (2) guide the development of effective alternative interventions for smokers susceptible to relapse during the critical withdrawal period (i.e., smokers low in distress tolerance), and (3) to help guide behavioral strategies for treating substance addictions broadly.

Detailed description

As the leading cause of preventable death in the US and a major cause for chronic disease/mortality worldwide, smoking represents a major public health issue in need of effective interventions to reduce its burden. The development of such strategies is best directed by basic research on the biobehavioral processes underlying smoking maintenance and relapse. A major predictor of cessation failure is nicotine withdrawal, especially among individuals low in distress tolerance (DT). Reducing nicotine withdrawal-related distress and relapse in low DT smokers may require the regulation of certain hormones involved in the hypothalamic pituitary axis (HPA-axis) (i.e., the human stress response). Regular practice of yoga, a mindfulness-based form of physical activity, emerges as a promising strategy for regulating the HPA-axis, decreasing withdrawal symptoms, and increasing DT, thus promoting smoking cessation success. We will randomly assign 50 smokers (≥10 cigarettes daily) low in DT to either an 8-week yoga intervention \[YOGA\] or a waitlist control \[WL\] prior to undergoing a self-guided quit attempt. We hypothesize participants assigned to the yoga condition (relative to waitlist) will differ on various outcomes assessed throughout the intervention (e.g., quit status, negative affective states, stress, hormonal changes, withdrawal) and, quit day, and throughout the 2-week quit follow-up period. More specifically, we hypothesize that certain typical maladaptive, during-withdrawal changes may be attenuated through YOGA. We also hope to obtain initial effect sizes of the advantage of yoga compared to waitlist for point-prevalent abstinence at two weeks following an unaided quit attempt.

Conditions

• Yoga
• Waitlist

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Yoga	The yoga intervention will be an 8-week program involving two 60-minute sessions each week at a local studio with three locations in Austin. Participants will be instructed to take classes deemed within a moderate-to-vigorous intensity dose. Participants will also be encouraged both by the PI and yoga instructors to complete the entire 60 minutes of yoga, urged to do only what is comfortable and not push themselves beyond their physical limits.

Timeline

• Start date: 2014-07-01
• Primary completion: 2017-07-01
• Completion: 2017-07-01
• First posted: 2014-07-03
• Last updated: 2017-10-26

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States