slimvictor
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Is the buzz from exercise enough to compensate for nicotine hits from cigarettes?
Researchers studying new smoking cessation methods among teens report that yes, physical activity may actually have an effect on smoking rates. The scientists, from George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) report that teen smokers who upped the number of days they exercised for 20 minutes didn’t not light up as much as teens who weren’t as active. In fact, some teens who participated in both smoking cessation and fitness programs were able to kick their habit for good.
The study involved 233 teen smokers attending 19 high schools in West Virginia, which has one of the highest teen smoking rates and one of the lowest physical activity rates in the U.S. On average, the participants in the study smoked a pack of cigarettes a day.
The high schoolers were split into three groups. One group enrolled in an anti-smoking program paired with a fitness component. Another group went through just the anti-smoking program and another group only listened to an anti-smoking lecture. Although the researchers found that all of the groups reported exercising more to some degree, the teens who reported increasing the number of days they were physically active for 20 minutes or more — by taking, for example, a moderately long walk — significantly cut back on their smoking.
“We don’t fully understand the clinical relevance of ramping up daily activity to 20 or 30 minutes a day with these teens. But we do know that even modest improvements in exercise may have health benefits. Our study supports the idea that encouraging one healthy behavior can serve to promote another, and it shows that teens, often viewed as resistant to behavior change, can tackle two health behaviors at once,” said lead study author Kimberly Horn, an associate dean of research at SPHHS in a statement.
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/04/...-can-help-teen-smokers-to-quit/#ixzz2Q0y1NExK
Researchers studying new smoking cessation methods among teens report that yes, physical activity may actually have an effect on smoking rates. The scientists, from George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) report that teen smokers who upped the number of days they exercised for 20 minutes didn’t not light up as much as teens who weren’t as active. In fact, some teens who participated in both smoking cessation and fitness programs were able to kick their habit for good.
The study involved 233 teen smokers attending 19 high schools in West Virginia, which has one of the highest teen smoking rates and one of the lowest physical activity rates in the U.S. On average, the participants in the study smoked a pack of cigarettes a day.
The high schoolers were split into three groups. One group enrolled in an anti-smoking program paired with a fitness component. Another group went through just the anti-smoking program and another group only listened to an anti-smoking lecture. Although the researchers found that all of the groups reported exercising more to some degree, the teens who reported increasing the number of days they were physically active for 20 minutes or more — by taking, for example, a moderately long walk — significantly cut back on their smoking.
“We don’t fully understand the clinical relevance of ramping up daily activity to 20 or 30 minutes a day with these teens. But we do know that even modest improvements in exercise may have health benefits. Our study supports the idea that encouraging one healthy behavior can serve to promote another, and it shows that teens, often viewed as resistant to behavior change, can tackle two health behaviors at once,” said lead study author Kimberly Horn, an associate dean of research at SPHHS in a statement.
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/04/...-can-help-teen-smokers-to-quit/#ixzz2Q0y1NExK
