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Walk or Run to Quit: a 3-year evaluation of a physical activity-based smoking cessation intervention
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2020
Abstract
Walk or Run to Quit was a national program targeting smoking cessation through group-based running clinics. Increasing physical activity may facilitate smoking cessation as well as lead to additional health benefits beyond cessation.
To evaluate the impact of Walk or Run to Quit over 3 years.
Adult male and female participants (N = 745) looking to quit smoking took part in 156 running-based cessation clinics in 79 locations across Canada. Using a pre-post design, participants completed questionnaires assessing physical activity, running frequency and smoking at the beginning and end of the 10-week program and at 6-months follow-up. Carbon monoxide testing pre- and post- provided an objective indicator of smoking status and coach logs assessed implementation.
55.0% of program completers achieved 7-day point prevalence (intent-to-treat = 22.1%) and carbon monoxide significantly decreased from weeks 1 to 10 (P < 0.001). There was an increase in physical activity and running from baseline to end-of-program (P's<0.001). At 6-month follow-up, 28.9% of participants contacted self-reported prolonged 6-month abstinence (intent-to-treat = 11.4%) and 35.6% were still running regularly.
Although attrition was a concern, Walk or Run to Quit demonstrated potential as a scalable behaviour change intervention that targets both cessation and physical activity.
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- Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press
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