A group of women practicing yoga as a supportive tool for smoking cessation

Study on yoga as a supportive tool for smoking cessation

Beth C Bock et al.

October 2019

Yoga

In Providence, Rhode Island, researchers conducted a study on the effectiveness of yoga as an adjunct to smoking cessation.

The sample for this pilot study consisted of 55 women who received eight weeks of group-based behavioral therapy for smoking cessation and were randomized to either twice-weekly Vinyasa yoga or a general health and wellness program.

The 7-day point prevalence was determined using a salivary cotinine test. Longitudinal analyses were also conducted to observe the effect of the therapy in the third and sixth month of follow-up.

The data showed that the women in the yoga group had a higher 7-day prevalence than those in the control group and a marginally significant higher abstinence at the six-month assessment. Anxiety and perceived health improved as a result of the yoga program.

Yoga thus appears to be a possible supportive measure for smoking cessation.

The most important information on the study at a glance

Indications: Smoking cessation
Institution: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
Title: Study on yoga as a supportive tool for smoking cessation
Brief description: The study shows that yoga helps with smoking cessation, with higher abstinence and better health compared to the control group.
Original title: Yoga as a Complementary Therapy for Smoking Cessation: Results From BreathEasy, a Randomized Clinical Trial
Link to the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30295912/