Health and Wellness Coaching Can Improve Tobacco Quit Rates and Weight Management Efforts in an Employee Population

• Published in: American journal of health promotion Vol. 39; no. 4; pp. 568 - 573
• Main Authors: Sauls, Rachel, Thakkar, Shreya, Evers, Briana, Yates, Alexander, Tran, Nhan, Latif, Mark, Johnson, Kelly, Alencar, Michelle K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.05.2025; American Journal of Health Promotion
• Subjects: Adult; Body Mass Index; Coaching; Female; Gender differences; Health Promotion - methods; Humans; Male; Mentoring - methods; Middle Aged; Nicotine; Nicotine replacement therapy; Occupational Health; Retrospective Studies; Sex Factors; Smoking cessation; Smoking Cessation - methods; Smoking Cessation - statistics & numerical data; Tobacco; Tobacco Use Cessation - methods; Tobacco Use Cessation - statistics & numerical data; Weight control; Weight gain; Weight loss; Women; weight management; tobacco cessation; health coaching; employee wellness
• ISSN: 0890-1171; 2168-6602; 2168-6602
• DOI: 10.1177/08901171241302926

Purpose This study aims to investigate gender differences in tobacco quit rates and weight gain among employees undergoing a cessation program with a health and wellness coach. Design This project was a retrospective observational study of an employee population. Setting All data were collected during health coaching sessions by nationally certified health coaches. Subjects 211 men and women (116 males, 95 females, age 51.3 ± 9.9 years) enrolled in a Tobacco cessation health coaching program (TCHC) between January 2020 and December 2021. Measures Data were compared between genders for quit rate, weight, body mass index (BMI), and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) usage across 12-month follow-ups. Analysis Descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVA, and independent samples t-test. Results Significantly more men than women successfully quit by the goal date set with their coach (P < 0.05). There was a significant reduction in tobacco use across 12 months, leading to the participant’s quit date (P < 0.001). Women (Weight lost ± SD= 1.49 lbs. ±16.06 lbs.) lost significantly more weight than men (0.7 lbs. ± 8.5 lbs.; P < 0.001). NRT users lost significantly more weight than non-users (P = .007). Conclusion Health and wellness coaching was effective for participants to successfully stop tobacco use while in this program by their quit date. The coaching program also elicited weight loss while achieving smoking cessation for both men and women.