Exercise helps moms-to-be quit smoking

LONDON, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Twenty percent of U.S. women and 17 percent of British women admit to smoking during pregnancy, but exercise may help them quit, British researchers said.

Michael Ussher and colleagues from St. George's, University of London said exercise can reduce the cravings experienced by smokers and there is some evidence to show that it can help non-pregnant women to quit.

For both studies, pregnant women 18 and older, who smoked at least a cigarette a day, were recruited 12 to 20 weeks into pregnancy. In one study, women did supervised exercise once a week for six weeks; in the other, women did two sessions of exercise a week for six weeks, then one session a week for three weeks. The participants were also encouraged to do additional exercise on their own and all received advice and counsel ling towards stopping smoking and becoming more active.

The study, published in the journal BMC Public Health, found 25 percent of the 32 women gave up smoking before giving birth. Participants also reported other positive benefits including weight loss, improved self-image and reduced cravings, the study said.