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Background: Interventions using sustained aerobic exercise programs to aid smoking cessation have resulted in modest, short-term cessation rates comparable to conventional cessation methods. No smoking cessation trial to date has prescribed intermittent bouts of exercise in response to nicotine cravings. Objectives: This randomized controlled trial examined the feasibility and efficacy of an Internet -based smoking cessation program alone (CON) vs. the same Internet-based program + exercise (EX). Study Population: Participants were generally healthy, inactive adult smokers (N = 38; mean age = 43.6 [SD = 11.5]; 60.5% women) who desired to quit. Study Design: This pilot study added unique strategies to the methods employed in prior studies utilizing exercise as a smoking cessation strategy. Results: Although retained participants (n = 23; 60.5%) achieved a higher cessation rate (26.1%) than all enrolled participants (15.8%), adjusted intent-to-treat and per- protocol binary logistic regression analyses revealed no significant cessation rate differences between EX and CON groups. A repeated measures general linear model (GLM) analysis examining between group and within subjects changes in smoking rate from baseline to post-intervention among all participants revealed a significant within subjects effect over time, F(1, 35) = 11.45, p = .002. However, neither the between group, F(1, 35) = 1.08, p = .31, nor the interaction, F(1, 35) = 0.86, p = .36, effect was statistically significant. Linear regression results indicated that additional days of self-reported exercise on the study website during the intervention phase predicted significantly higher reduction rates among EX group participants, F(2, 18) = 31.08, p < .001. Conclusions: Outcomes from this pilot study were comparable to more resource- and time-consuming smoking cessation programs, suggesting that future iterations of this program may be promising. Results were mixed with regard to the incremental benefit

Background: Interventions using sustained aerobic exercise programs to aid smoking cessation have resulted in modest, short-term cessation rates comparable to conventional cessation methods. No smoking cessation trial to date has prescribed intermittent bouts of exercise in response to nicotine cravings. Objectives: This randomized controlled trial examined the feasibility and efficacy of an Internet -based smoking cessation program alone (CON) vs. the same Internet-based program + exercise (EX). Study Population: Participants were generally healthy, inactive adult smokers (N = 38; mean age = 43.6 [SD = 11.5]; 60.5% women) who desired to quit. Study Design: This pilot study added unique strategies to the methods employed in prior studies utilizing exercise as a smoking cessation strategy. Results: Although retained participants (n = 23; 60.5%) achieved a higher cessation rate (26.1%) than all enrolled participants (15.8%), adjusted intent-to-treat and per- protocol binary logistic regression analyses revealed no significant cessation rate differences between EX and CON groups. A repeated measures general linear model (GLM) analysis examining between group and within subjects changes in smoking rate from baseline to post-intervention among all participants revealed a significant within subjects effect over time, F(1, 35) = 11.45, p = .002. However, neither the between group, F(1, 35) = 1.08, p = .31, nor the interaction, F(1, 35) = 0.86, p = .36, effect was statistically significant. Linear regression results indicated that additional days of self-reported exercise on the study website during the intervention phase predicted significantly higher reduction rates among EX group participants, F(2, 18) = 31.08, p < .001. Conclusions: Outcomes from this pilot study were comparable to more resource- and time-consuming smoking cessation programs, suggesting that future iterations of this program may be promising. Results were mixed with regard to the incremental benefit