Examining Yoga's Effects on Smoking

Yoga Clinical Trial

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

Status Completed

Clinical Trial 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.

Clinical Trial 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. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Waitlist
• Yoga

• NCT number: NCT02181179
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University of Texas at Austin
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: July 2014
• Completion date: July 2017