The Effect of an Acute Exercise Bout on Juul Cravings in College-Aged Students

Juul, a brand of e-cigarettes, are popular for their discreet size, high nicotine content, and flavoring, although negative health effects like respiratory disease exist. Previous research has demonstrated that exercise can mitigate traditional cigarette cravings, and it is possible that this model may be applied to Juul use as well. PURPOSE: To examine the effect of an acute bout of exercise on Juul cravings in sedentary, Juul using college students and observe whether there is a delayed onset of the first craving the morning after a bout of exercise. METHODS: Participants came in for three visits in which they were not permitted to Juul. During Visit 1, a questionnaire was completed at baseline and after 10 and 25 minutes of sitting quietly. During Visit 2, participants walked on a treadmill at 40-50% Heart Rate Reserve for 15 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of sitting quietly. The questionnaire was administered at the beginning of the session, immediately after the walking session, and after 10 minutes of sitting quietly. During Visit 3, participants performed 5 different resistance machine exercises for two sets of 12-15 repetitions, lasting approximately 15 minutes. The questionnaire was then administered in the same manner as Visit 2. The morning after each visit, an e-mail was sent to the participants with follow up questions. RESULTS: Six participants (age 20.8±1.3 yrs, Juul use 15.7 ±6.5 months) completed this study. There was no Treatment x Time effect (0.05). There was no delay in urge or usage the following day (0.05), with a range of 0-60mins across participants. CONCLUSION: An acute bout of exercise does not appear to affect college-aged students' Juul urge. Strategies to better recruit students who engage in this negatively-perceived health behavior need to be explored.