Yoga for Tobacco Cessation: A Randomized Controlled Trial (QUIT-SMART).

Authors

Sudha Lama, Shruti Singh, Partha Haldar, Asmita Shukla, Varun Chhabra, Akriti Shukla, Anu James Vibin, Man Singh Jat, Dhanlika Dhanlika, Rajesh Sagar, Udisha Singh, Gautam Sharma

Published in

Substance use & misuse. Pages 1-10. Oct 11, 2026. Epub Oct 11, 2026.

Abstract

Current tobacco cessation strategies, including pharmacological interventions and supportive therapies, have limitations related to adherence and relapse. Emerging evidence suggests that yoga plays a significant role in tobacco cessation through psycho-behavioral mechanisms. This study was conducted to evaluate the role of yoga among adults who used both smoking and smokeless forms (SLT) of tobacco.
A prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint trial was conducted among adult tobacco users. Participants were randomly assigned to either the yoga (n = 64) or the exercise (n = 66). The primary outcome was 7-day point prevalence abstinence (7-PPA) validated by salivary cotinine, at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included quality of life (QoL), assessed using WHOQOL-BREF, and psychological health was assessed using DASS-21.
Between December 2021 and June 2023, 910 adult tobacco users were screened. A total of 130 participants (96.9% male) were enrolled, including 51 (39.3%) who used smoking tobacco and 79 (60.7%) who used smokeless tobacco. At 6 months, 14 (22%) participants in the yoga group achieved 7-PPA, compared to 6 (9.1%) in the exercise group (p = 0.043) (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.04-8.40). The yoga group demonstrated greater improvements in QoL (p < 0.05), and psychological health outcomes, including stress and anxiety (p < 0.001) and depression (p = 0.008).
Yoga demonstrated a significantly higher rate of 7-PPA compared with exercise. The yoga group also showed greater improvements in QoL and psychological outcomes. These findings suggest that yoga may serve as a feasible complementary intervention for tobacco cessation among adult tobacco users.
Clinical Trial Registry India number; CTRI/2021/12/038745. Date of Registration - Dec 20, 2021.

PMID:
42860053
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Oct 2026.

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