Combined Smoking Cesssation and Weight-Control Interventions

Background:Smoking is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States. Some evidence-based findings have indicated approximately 80% of smokers gain 6 to 8 pounds after quitting and some gain over 20 pounds. Knowledge of potential adverse health effects associated with post-cessation weight gain or fear of weight gain can compromise adherence to smoking cessation interventions.

Methods:A literature review was conducted to assess outcomes on combined smoking cessation and weight-control interventions via the Cochrane Library, Medline, and PubMed. Keyword search terms used included “smoking cessation,” “weight loss,” “overweight,” or “obese,” and “intervention” with publication dates ranging from 1990 - 2013.

Results:  Out of an initial retrieval of 3,223 articles identified from the search terms, 3,198 studies were excluded due to non-combined intervention designs or duplicate articles. Combined interventions showed short-term weight controlling effects and varying approaches to addressing both weight-control and smoking cessation. Overall, efficacy studies indicated mixed long-term findings despite successful short-term smoking abstinence and weight control outcomes.  

Conclusions: Combined interventions reviewed took varying approaches to intervention design (treatment order, program components, assessment time points, and sample size) and yielded positive short-term weight control results without consistently harming smoking abstinence rates. Studies reviewed suggest the potential for successful long-term combined interventions and warrant further research. The limited studies demonstrated success for both risk factors and highlight the need for enhanced integrated intervention designs accounting for, but not limited to: consistent methods, higher sample sizes, and standardized means of assessing weight-control measures.