title: Exercise facilitates smoking cessation indirectly via improvements in smoking-specific self-efficacy: Prospective cohort study among a national sample of young smokers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine whether exercise is associated with 2-year follow-up smoking status through its influence on smoking-specific self-efficacy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal data from the 2003-2005 National Youth Smoking Cessation Survey were used, including 1,228 participants (16-24 years). A questionnaire was used to examine baseline exercise levels, baseline smoking-specific self-efficacy, follow-up smoking status, and the covariates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline exercise was associated with baseline self-efficacy (β=0.04, p<0.001) after adjusting for age category, sex, race-ethnicity, education, and nicotine dependence. Baseline self-efficacy, in turn, was associated with 2-year smoking status (β=0.23, p<0.001) after adjustments. There was no adjusted direct effect of baseline exercise on 2-year smoking status (β=0.001, p=0.95); however, the adjusted indirect effect of baseline self-efficacy on the relationship between exercise and 2-year smoking status was significant (β=0.008, bootstrapped lower and upper CI: 0.002-0.02; p<0.05). The mediation ratio was 0.837, which indicates that smoking-specific self-efficacy mediates 84% of the total effect of exercise on smoking status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among daily smokers, exercise may help to facilitate smoking cessation via exercise-induced increases in smoking-specific self-efficacy.
authors: Center for Health Behavior Research, Department of Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, United States. Electronic address: pdloprin@olemiss.edu.
authors: Paul D
authors: PD
authors: Loprinzi
authors: Department of Psychology, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY 40205, United States.
authors: Christy D
authors: CD
authors: Wolfe
authors: Department of Respiratory Therapy, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY 40205, United States.
authors: Jerome F
authors: JF
authors: Walker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Confidence; Nicotine dependence; Physical activity