title: Exercise Self-Efficacy Moderates the Relation between Anxiety Sensitivity and Body Mass Index and Exercise Tolerance in Treatment-Seeking Smokers.
abstract: There is little known about factors that contribute to the comorbidity of cigarette smoking and obesity. The current study sought to test whether exercise self-efficacy moderated the relation between anxiety sensitivity (fear of internal sensations) and BMI and exercise tolerance among cigarette smokers. Smokers (n= 72; 50% female;Mcpd= 19.3,SD= 10.65) were recruited to participate in a smoking cessation treatment trial. During medical screen, we measured weight, height, and exercise tolerance (functional capacity) employing a standardized maximal exercise testing protocol. After adjusting for participant sex and cigarettes per day, exercise self-efficacy moderated the association between anxiety sensitivity and BMI, such that the positive association between anxiety sensitivity and BMI was significantly stronger when exercise self-efficacy was low. The same pattern of results emerged for exercise tolerance. Exercise self-efficacy moderated the association between anxiety sensitivity and exercise tolerance, such that the negative association between anxiety sensitivity and exercise tolerance was significantly stronger when exercise self-efficacy was low. Among smokers, anxiety sensitivity may be a risk variable that, directly and indirectly in the context of low self-efficacy for exercise, causes or maintains higher body weight and lower exercise tolerance.
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Department of Psychology, Houston, TX; Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: Samantha G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Farris
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology and Institute for Mental Health Research, Austin, TX.
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Southern Methodist University, Department of Psychology, Dallas, TX.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosenfield
authors.affiliation: Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: Brooke Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Kauffman
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology and Institute for Mental Health Research, Austin, TX.
authors.forename: Scarlett O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology and Institute for Mental Health Research, Austin, TX.
authors.forename: Mark B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Powers
authors.affiliation: Boston University, Department of Psychology, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Otto
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Diego, Department of Family & Preventive Medicine, San Diego, CA.
authors.forename: Bess H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Marcus
authors.affiliation: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA.
authors.forename: Timothy S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Church
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology and Institute for Mental Health Research, Austin, TX.
authors.forename: Jasper A J
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Smits
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Department of Psychology, Houston, TX; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Behavioral Science, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Zvolensky
keywords: anxiety vulnerability; functional capacity; nicotine dependence; obesity; physical activity; self-efficacy