Use of smokeless tobacco in the 1986 World Series

Adolescents' smokeless tobacco susceptibility by perceived professional baseball players' use

OBJECTIVE

Measure associations between adolescent baseball players' perceptions of smokeless tobacco (ST) use by professional baseball players and those adolescents' actual ST use and susceptibility.

METHODS

Male baseball players (N = 360) at 25 rural California high schools completed tobacco behavior surveys and reported how likely they believed it was their favorite major league baseball player used ST. We compared ST use and, among ST never-users, willingness and expectations to use ST, according to perceived favorite player's use.

RESULTS

Adolescents responding that their favorite player definitely or probably used ST were significantly more likely to use ST themselves. High school ST never-users who perceived that their favorite player definitely used ST were 2.5 to 3-times more likely to be susceptible to ST initiation than participants responding that their favorite player definitely did not use ST.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents' ST behaviors and intentions were correlated with their perceptions of professional baseball players' ST use.

Smokeless tobacco use among professional baseball players: survey results, 1998 to 2003

OBJECTIVE

The use of smokeless tobacco (ST) (snuff and chewing tobacco) has long been associated with baseball in the USA. This article reviews six years of survey data from major and minor league baseball players to evaluate trends in tobacco use and quitting patterns over time in order to gain insight into the effects of past interventions and to document continued intervention needs.

METHOD

Surveys were distributed by athletic trainers to major and minor league professional baseball players during spring training session in the six years from 1998 to 2003. The surveys were anonymous and identified only by team, level of league, and other self reported demographic data.

RESULTS

ST use among professional baseball players remains much higher than among young males in the general population, and use is most prevalent among white non-Hispanic players. There was a significant decrease in ST use among minor league players from 1998 to 2003, with seven day self reported use declining from 31.7% in 1998 to 24.8% in 2003. No significant year to year changes were observed for major league players. Major league players' self reported past week use rates, estimated at 35.9% in 1998 and at 36% in 2003, were consistently higher than those of minor league players. Self reported prevalence of past month cigarette and cigar smoking was much lower than ST use for both major and minor league players.

CONCLUSIONS

Six years of survey data confirm a continuing high use of ST among professional baseball players. Results suggest that the effects of the broad spectrum ST control efforts launched over the past decade may have been stronger among minor than major league players. Stronger policy interventions at the major league level and multi-level efforts, including programmes to increase the use of effective quitting aids and assistance, at both levels of play are needed. Future research is needed to further clarify changes in ST practices among professional players and set policy intervention directions.

Snuffing tobacco out of sport

Use of oral snuff has risen sharply among baseball players following a tobacco industry marketing campaign that linked smokeless tobacco with athletic performance and virility. Millions of adolescents have copied these professional role models and, today, are at risk of developing oral cancer and other mouth disorders. New policies and programs are needed to break the powerful grip that the tobacco industry has on professional sport. Health agencies, including the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Dental Research, have teamed up with major league baseball to help players quit and reduce public use of oral tobacco. If these efforts are successful, our national pastime will once again become America's classroom for teaching health and fitness, not nicotine addiction.

A comparison of smokeless tobacco and smoking practices of university varsity and intramural baseball players

To examine the smokeless tobacco (ST) and smoking practices of collegiate varsity and intramural baseball players, 284 undergraduate athletes at two major Southwestern universities were surveyed using a questionnaire previously developed to measure use among this population. About one-fourth of all athletes were current ST users and 4% smokers. Over half of varsity players (53%) compared to 25.9% of intramural players used one or both forms of ST. Varsity players were about 20 times more likely to use ST as to smoke, while intramural players were about five times as likely to use ST than to smoke. On both teams, use of chewing tobacco was associated with use of snuff. Smoking was not associated with ST use in either group. Mean ages for initiation for all products was 15, and for quitting, 18. There was no evidence that one form of tobacco served as a gateway for the other among these young adult athletes. Over a fourth of all users started after age 17, suggesting that college is an appropriate locus for both ST prevention and cessation programming. Such programs for this population must address the unique characteristics of the social environment in collegiate baseball.

Correlates of smokeless tobacco use in a male adolescent population

This paper identifies the correlates of smokeless tobacco use in a sample of 1,030 males representative of 7th through 12th grade students of Dane County (Madison), Wisconsin. Variables independently associated with frequent use of smokeless tobacco were: being White; living in other than a two-parent home; performing poorly in school; smoking cigarettes; consuming beer, wine, or hard liquor; and deviant/delinquent behavior. Participation in team sports was associated with some "experimentation" with smokeless products.

Screening for smokeless tobacco-associated lesions: recommendations for the dental practitioner

The increasing use of smokeless tobacco and the accumulating list of associated health hazards including cancer and cardiovascular effects should be of concern to the dentist. This study documents both concern from patients' perceptions and clinical examinations of their smokeless tobacco-associated lesions. Implications for the dentists' practice among adolescents and young adults are discussed.