Physical activity as a coping strategy for smoking cessation in mid-life and older adults

Smoking prevalence for those ages 45-65 is higher than the national average and the number of mid-life and older smokers is expected to increase as baby boomers age. Cessation, even after age 65, confers health benefits. Both physiologic and psychological mechanisms support use of physical activity (PA) as a coping tool for quitting and improving health. This study focused on use of PA for coping with urges to smoke, factors associated with use, and whether use of PA was associated with abstinence at 12 months for 799 smokers ages 50 and older. Only 11.6% used PA for coping, with walking the most common PA. Females were more likely to use PA relative to males. Though in the predicted direction, use of PA was not significantly associated with 12-month abstinence. Male gender and higher baseline self-efficacy to quit were associated with 12 month abstinence. Encouraging use of PA during smoking cessation does not impede quitting and may improve health outcomes. Further research on whether PA increases abstinence with a larger sample of mid-life and older adults is indicated.