Investigators at University of Rochester Medicine and Wilmot Cancer Institute received a $2.2 million grant to continue studying a text-messaging program that has already been used successfully to help individuals quit smoking and now adds another component by encouraging physical activity, such as running or swimming, for 150 minutes a week
A pilot study in the Latino community showed that participants were enthusiastic about combining physical activity and smoking cessation — and that 70% were able to quit smoking at the three-month point while increasing their activity levels
“We believe that engaging in physical activity increases the chance of quitting,” said principal investigator Francisco Cartujano, MD, who has been studying smoking cessation for nearly a decade
Francisco Cartujano, MD, center in maroon, with his research team.
“Moderate to vigorous physical activity is associated with outcomes including acute relief from nicotine withdrawal, management of relapse/lapse, and greater self-efficacy to quit smoking,” he said.
The newly funded study is national in scope but so far, most clinical trial enrollees (more than 100 people) are from Rochester and the surrounding region. Participants decide what types of physical activity they will do each week and agree to wear devices that track their activity and report data to researchers
“We are comfortable with any activity they choose,’ said Cartujano, an assistant professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health Sciences and assistant director of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) at Wilmot. “The important thing is to do something that you enjoy and be consistent. We also offer counseling to help them gradually increase their activity until they meet the recommended guidelines.”
The intervention is called Activatexto, which is modeled after the research group’s culturally relevant smoking cessation text-messaging program called Decidetexto for the Latino community. Both programs were developed in partnership with a Community Advisory Board (CAB) at Wilmot’s outreach office
People interested in participating can use this contact form or call/text 585-504-9461
What prompted researchers to add physical activity to the smoking cessation study?
A Wilmot randomized controlled trial reported in the journal Chest in 2025, using the Decidetexto program alone, showed that Latino adults who smoke and who received text messaging support were significantly more likely to quit smoking at six months compared to people who received standard smoking cessation printed materials and no other support (34% versus 20.6%). But investigators noted that 75% of study participants did not meet physical activity goals of 150 hours a week recommended by health professionals to maintain a healthy weight and prevent illness.
Wilmot serves a 27-county catchment area that includes the City of Rochester and more than three million people in western and central New York. Smoking rates in this region are higher than state and national averages, and significantly higher among Latinos. The region also has excessive rates of cancer. Smoking is linked to more than a dozen types of cancer, as poisons in tobacco can damage or change a cell’s DNA and weaken the body’s immune system
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities funded the clinical research, which will end in May 2029
