Abstract

Introduction. Few studies have evaluated exercise interventions for smokers with depression or other psychiatric comorbidities. This pilot study evaluated the potential role of supervised vigorous exercise as a smoking cessation intervention for depressed females. Methods. Thirty adult women with moderate-severe depressive symptoms were enrolled and randomly assigned to 12 weeks of thrice weekly, in person sessions of vigorous intensity supervised exercise at a YMCA setting (EX; n=15) or health education (HE; n=15). All participants received behavioral smoking cessation counseling and nicotine patch therapy. Assessments were done in person at baseline, at the end of 12 weeks of treatment, and at 6 months post target-quit-date. Primary endpoints were exercise adherence (proportion of 36 sessions attended) and biochemically confirmed 7-day point prevalence abstinence at Week 12. Biomarkers of inflammation were explored for differences between treatment groups and between women continuing to smoke and those who quit at Week 12. Results. Treatment adherence was high for both groups (66% for HE and 72% for EX; p=0.55). The week 123 smoking abstinence rate was higher for EX than HE (11/15 [73%] vs. 5/15 [33%]; p=0.028), but no significant differences emerged at 6-month follow-up. Interlukin (IL6) levels increased more for smokers compared with those abstinent at Week 12 (p=0.040). Conclusions. Vigorous intensity supervised exercise is feasible and enhances smoking cessation among depressed female smokers. Innovative and cost-effective strategies to bolster long-term exercise adherence and smoking cessation need evaluation in this population. Inflammatory biomarkers could be examined in future research as mediators of treatment efficacy.