Racial and ethnic differences in treatment outcomes among adults with stimulant use disorders after a dosed exercise intervention

The current study examined differences in substance abuse treatment outcomes among racial and ethnic groups enrolled in the Stimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise (STRIDE) trial, a multisite randomized clinical trial implemented through the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA's) Clinical Trials Network (CTN). STRIDE aimed to test vigorous exercise as a novel approach to the treatment of stimulant abuse compared to a health education intervention. A hurdle model with a complier average causal effects (CACE) adjustment was used to provide an unbiased estimate of the exercise effect had all participants been adherent to exercise. Among 214 exercise-adherent participants, we found significantly lower probability of use for Blacks (z = -2.45, p = .014) and significantly lower number of days of use for Whites compared to Hispanics (z = -54.87, p = .001) and for Whites compared to Blacks (z = -28.54, p = .001), which suggests that vigorous, regular exercise might improve treatment outcomes given adequate levels of adherence.