Decίdetexto: Assessment of Weight Change after Smoking Cessation Treatment for Latino Smokers

Weight gain is a barrier to smoking cessation and is an important concern among Latino communities that already face the burden of high obesity rates. The objective of this study is to describe the relationship between smoking cessation and weight change among Latino adults who smoke participating in a mobile smoking cessation program. This study is a secondary data analysis of 208 participants enrolled in the Decídetexto, an mHealth smoking cessation randomized trial. The primary cessation outcomes were cotinine-verified 7-day point prevalence abstinence and self-reported abstinence at month 6. Weight and BMI were collected at baseline and month 6. Changes in weight and BMI between baseline and 6 months were associated with cessation outcomes. The average baseline weight was 83.4±40.1 lbs, the average BMI was 29.6±6.2, and most of the participants (n=160, 76.9%) were classified as overweight or obese. Participants who self-report abstinence gained 1.58 more pounds than those who did not quit (P=0.01, 95% CI [1.39, 10.47]). Participants who quit smoking validated with cotinine levels gained 3.41 more pounds compared to those who did not quit (P=0.02, 95% CI [0.67, 8.16]). Self-reported abstinence participants also had higher relative weight gain than participants who did not quit (P=0.01, 95% CI [0.83, 5.43]). BMI index did not change and was not correlated to cessation outcomes. Smoking cessation was related to weight gain among Latino adults who smoke, but BMI index did not change. This suggests that a culturally tailored mobile smoking cessation program can mitigate weight gain in this population.