Sports participation and substance use behaviors in U.S. adolescents

BACKGROUND: Adolescents' participation in organized sports results in several health benefits, however participation may contribute to negative risk-taking behaviors, such as substance use. Additionally, certain subgroups involved in sports appear to have a higher prevalence of substance use. OBJECTIVE: This study examines substance use behavior among adolescents who participated in sports teams (sport participants) in comparison to those who did not participate (nonparticipants). METHODS: A cross-sectional study design using 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data was conducted. Participants included a nationally representative sample of 16, 410 high school students. Chi-square analyses were conducted in SPSS to compare substance use behaviors of sport participants to nonparticipants. RESULTS: The prevalence of sports participation was higher among male than female students and higher among white than black or Hispanic students. Sport participants were less likely to report smoking cigarettes (p<.001), using marijuana (p=.01) and using cocaine (p=.016) in the past 30 days but more likely to report alcohol use (p=.004) and binge drinking (p<.001) in the past 30 days in comparison to nonparticipants. White students were more likely to avoid substance use than black and Hispanic participants CONCLUSION: Sports participants are more likely to use alcohol than their nonparticipant peers. Additional research is needed to examine the relationship between sports participation and substance use and the factors contributing to the health disparities in minority subgroups. It is important for school and community health professionals to educate youth about the ills of substance use regardless of sports participation.