Exercise-based quitting aid for adults with high anxiety sensitivity
Official title: Efficacy and implementation of exercise-based smoking cessation treatment for adults with high anxiety sensitivity
Funded at University of Texas at Austin · NIH-11419742 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A program tests whether a structured, high‑intensity exercise plan helps adults with high anxiety sensitivity quit smoking and feel better mentally.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas at Austin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Austin, United States) |
| Project start | July 3, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $653,450 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA273221-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11419742 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults 21 years and older with high anxiety sensitivity who smoke and want to quit.
✕Less likely to help
People without high anxiety sensitivity or those unwilling to participate in an exercise program may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project focuses on adults who smoke and have high anxiety sensitivity, a fear of anxious sensations. It uses a 15‑week, high‑intensity exercise approach previously shown to reduce anxiety and cravings, aiming to improve quitting success. The study will monitor mood, withdrawal symptoms, and smoking status to see if exercise supports cessation for this group. If successful, it could offer a non-drug option that tackles both anxiety and tobacco dependence.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If the approach works, participants may quit smoking more easily and experience improved mood and reduced anxiety.
How similar studies have gone: Prior phases showed promise for high-intensity exercise to reduce anxiety and craving, supporting further testing.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smits, Jasper — University of Texas at Austin
- Study coordinator: Smits, Jasper
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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High‑intensity exercise program to help adults with high anxiety sensitivity quit smoking
This project uses a supervised high‑intensity exercise program to help adult smokers who are especially sensitive to anxiety symptoms quit smoking and reduce withdrawal and craving.
-
Using exercise to help adults with high anxiety sensitivity quit smoking
This study is looking at how doing high-intensity exercise can help adults who feel very anxious and want to quit smoking, by improving their mood and reducing anxiety, so they can have a better chance of successfully stopping smoking.
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Social stress and smoking: why disadvantaged young adults struggle to quit
This grant looks at how daily social stress affects if and when disadvantaged young adults who smoke can quit and stay quit.
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I-STOP: a mobile health program to help people with HIV quit smoking
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Smoking cessation help for people with HIV in South Africa
A program is being tested to help people living with HIV in South Africa quit smoking in ways that fit low-resource clinics and show good value.
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Mobile tools to understand how sleep affects quitting smoking
This project uses a smartphone to track sleep and smoking in lower-income adults trying to quit to find how sleep patterns relate to staying smoke-free.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.