SATURDAY, Oct. 6, 2001 (HealthDayNews) -- About half the women who smoke worry about gaining weight when they give up cigarettes.
Because of that, experts say, those who are weight-conscious are less likely to quit, more likely to drop out of smoking-cessation programs, and struggle with other problems like depression.
But a recent study from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center found that women who underwent cognitive therapy that dealt with their concerns about weight gain were more likely to quit smoking than those who received therapy focused only on weight control or social support.
"Basically, our study shows that reducing weight concerns more directly, rather than trying to fight the weight gain, is a better strategy when trying to quit smoking," says study investigator Kenneth A. Perkins, a professor of psychiatry at the medical center.
Perkins says that the strategy of dieting while quitting smoking, which is what most weight-conscious women try to do, doesn't help you remain smoke-free and doesn't even prevent weight gain in the long run.
"We thought cognitive therapy to directly reduce weight concerns -- rather than dieting to prevent weight gain -- would be a better approach, and that's what our study found," says Perkins.
Cognitive therapy, also known as cognitive-behavioral therapy, is a way of talking about the connections between how you think, feel and behave. The goal of cognitive therapy is to change unrealistic thoughts or perceptions into positive, more productive thoughts. In the case of the Pittsburgh study, the goal was to get some women to accept some weight gain as the trade-off for being able to quit smoking.
Smoking-cessation experts say the study's findings are important for women trying to quit smoking -- especially those concerned about weight gain.
"Weight gain is an enormous barrier to their quitting," says Dr. Nancy A. Rigotti, director of the Tobacco Research and Treatment Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "This important study is the first that shows therapy can help to remove this obstacle to smoking cessation."
In the study, the Pittsburgh researchers assigned 219 women smokers to three different groups that received standard smoking-cessation counseling.
But one group was also given a weight-control program to reduce caloric intake and prevent weight gain. The second group received cognitive therapy that challenged their attitudes about weight and eating, encouraging moderation in snacking and acceptance of some weight gain. (The average person who has stopped smoking gains between five and 10 pounds, the researchers say.) The third group received no specific counseling about weight.
The group that received cognitive therapy had significantly better quitting rates after six months and one year than the other two groups. One year after treatment, 21 percent of the women who had received cognitive therapy successfully quit smoking. That compared to 13 percent of the women who received weight control counseling and 9 percent of the women who received only smoking-cessation tips.
And the group that received weight control therapy "did prevent weight gain during treatment, but they were unable to prevent eventual weight gain at the one-year follow-up period," Perkins says.
Despite the study's findings, behavioral experts say that quitting smoking is very difficult for women -- and men. So, it's important to continue to pursue new methods to help people kick the habit, the experts say.
The Pittsburgh study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinicial Psychology.
What to Do: To learn more about how to quit smoking, contact the American Lung Association at (212) 315-8700 or visit its Web site. For information about cognitive behavioral therapy and to find a therapist in your area, visit the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy or call (212) 647-1890.
