Weight gain as a function of smoking cessation and 2-mg nicotine gum use among middle-aged smokers with mild lung impairment in the first 2 years of the Lung Health Study

Health Psychol. 1994 Jul;13(4):354-61. doi: 10.1037//0278-6133.13.4.354.

Abstract

The extent and predictors of weight change were assessed among sustained nonsmoking special intervention participants in the Lung Health Study. The intervention included a 12-session group program and 2-mg nicotine gum. At 12 months, female sustained quitters (SQs; n = 248) had gained a mean of 8.4% (5.3 kg) of their baseline weight, whereas male SQs (n = 443) had gained 6.7% (5.5 kg). By 24 months, female SQs had gained 9.8% of their baseline weight compared with 6.9% for men. Nicotine gum usage delayed a portion of the weight gain. Multiple regression analysis showed that weight gain at 12 months was associated with a higher baseline salivary cotinine level, a lower baseline body mass index, drinking less alcohol per week, and a lower cotinine level at 12 months (indicating less or no nicotine gum use). We conclude that moderate weight gain is a long-term consequence of smoking cessation--a portion of which can be delayed with 2-mg nicotine gum.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cholinergic Agonists / therapeutic use*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Lung Diseases, Obstructive / rehabilitation
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nicotine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Nicotine / therapeutic use
  • Polymethacrylic Acids / therapeutic use*
  • Polyvinyls / therapeutic use*
  • Regression Analysis
  • Risk Factors
  • Sex Factors
  • Smoking Cessation / psychology*
  • Tobacco Use Cessation Devices
  • Weight Gain*

Substances

  • Cholinergic Agonists
  • Polymethacrylic Acids
  • Polyvinyls
  • Nicotine