Hatha Yoga for Smoking Cessation

• Point prevalence abstinence from smoking [ Time Frame: 6 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Abstinence from smoking as measured by expired carbon monoxide at 6 months post-intervention.
  
  

• Abstinence from smoking [ Time Frame: 0, and 3 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Prolonged abstinence defined as no smoking after the identified "quit date" and point prevalence abstinence (no smoking in the past 14 days) will be measured. Measured through expired carbon monoxide and verified by self-report.
  
  
• Change in weight [ Time Frame: 0, 3, 6 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Change in weight from baseline
  
  
• Signs and symptoms of nicotine withdrawal [ Time Frame: Weeks 1-7 during intervention period ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Survey will be administered weekly during class sessions
  
  

While many smoking cessation interventions have been studied, even the most successful interventions result in less than 40% abstinence from smoking at 6 months. Most people attempt to quit multiple times before maintaining long-term abstinence from tobacco. Research into interventions to improve quit rates and decrease smoking prevalence is a high priority for multiple organizations. Yoga is an attractive non-pharmacological option because it can be used safely during pregnancy and lactation, can be combined with other pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments, and can be continued well past the smoking cessation date to combat withdrawal symptoms and cravings. There is a critical need for innovative and effective methods for tobacco control that focus on both prevention and cessation.

This project will be broken into two stages. The first stage will aim to pilot test yoga techniques for feasibility and acceptability. Recruitment and retention strategies will be tested and participant satisfaction will be evaluated. Preliminary measures of smoking abstinence and withdrawal symptoms will be conducted.

The second stage of this study will be a randomized trial to compare smoking abstinence with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), CBT + yoga, or yoga alone.