Free Smoking Cessation Program - Getting Physical on Cigarettes

It has been shown that adding exercise to a traditional smoking cessation therapy (i.e., the patch) will aid in smoking cessation and lessen some of the negative consequences of withdrawal symptoms. Getting Physical on Cigarettes is designed to further examine the impact that exercise has on prevention of smoking relapse after a smoking cessation intervention. The purpose of this project is to help women quit smoking - for good.

All participants in the program will receive a free 10-week nicotine replacement therapy system (NicoDerm patch) and a free 14-week supervised exercise program. The supervised exercise program will be completed at The University of Western Ontario in a private facility (www.ehpl.uwo.ca).

Participants will also be given the option to know the results of their free body composition, lung health, vascular health, and fitness tests. Each participant will have the opportunity to know the measured positive changes occurring in her body with exercise adherence and smoking abstinence.

This trial is fully funded by the Canadian Cancer Society. We will be offering multiple start dates throughout the next three years - the first group of participants began Getting Physical on Cigarettes in January 2010. We are now recruiting a second group of participants to begin the program on March 22, 2010. Before the March start date all potential participants must attend an information session. If you are interested in attending an information session, or if you have any questions, please contact Lyndsay Fitzgeorge (phone: 519.661.3211 or email: lfitzgeo@uwo.ca). More information on this program can be found at: http://www.ehpl.uwo.ca/projects.html#Lyndsay1.

We look forward to hearing from you!