Weight gain as a function of smoking cessation and 2-mg nicotine gum use among middle-aged smokers with mild lung impairment in the first 2 years of the Lung Health Study.

Assessed the extent and predictors of weight change among sustained nonsmoking special intervention participants in the Lung Health Study. The intervention included a 12-session group program and 2-mg nicotine gum. At 12 mo, female sustained quitters (SQs; n?=?248) had gained a mean of 8.4% (5.3 kg) of their baseline weight, whereas male SQs (n?=?443) had gained 6.7% (5.5 kg). By 24 mo, female SQs had gained 9.8% of their baseline weight compared with 6.9% for men. Nicotine gum usage delayed a portion of the weight gain. Multiple regression analysis showed that weight gain at 12 mo was associated with a higher baseline salivary cotinine level, a lower baseline body mass index, drinking less alcohol per week, and a lower cotinine level at 12 mo (indicating less or no nicotine gum use). Moderate weight gain may be a long-term consequence of smoking cessation, a portion of which can be delayed with 2-mg nicotine gum. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)