Take One for the Team? Influence of Team and Individual Sport Participation on High School Athlete Substance Use Patterns

Relevance of Athlete-Specific Psychosocial Factors in High School Student-Athlete Alcohol Consumption

Background: Research suggests that adolescent student-athletes are at heightened risk for alcohol consumption. The identification of unique, modifiable risk factors for alcohol use in this population is needed. Purpose/Objectives: Building on previous work highlighting the importance of each of athlete-specific drinking motives and alcohol expectancies, this study investigated whether athlete-specific psychosocial predictors optimize our ability to predict adolescent athlete alcohol consumption after accounting for general psychosocial predictors. Methods: Participants were 352 current high school student-athletes who completed a self-report questionnaire about their alcohol use attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions. Results: Hierarchical regression revealed that among the total sample, gender, class year, liquid courage/sociability, sexuality, and negative alcohol expectancies, and negative athletic-functioning alcohol expectancies predicted alcohol consumption. Among lifetime drinkers, gender, class year, enhancement motives, conformity motives (negative), negative athlete-functioning alcohol expectancies, and sport-related coping motives predicted alcohol consumption. Conclusions/Importance: Negative athletic-functioning alcohol expectancies and sport-related coping motives emerged as important, athlete-specific predictors of adolescent athlete alcohol use. These factors provide important opportunities for targeted prevention efforts.

Does Participation in Sports Influence the Prevalence of and Initiation into Multiple Substance Misuse in Adolescence? A Two-Year Prospective Analysis

Concurrent smoking and harmful drinking (CSHD) in adolescence is an important public health and social problem, while participation in sports is considered as being protective against CSHD. This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the influence of various facets of sports participation on the prevalence of and initiation into CSHD of adolescents. Participants were adolescents from southern Croatia (n = 711, 43.6% females, 16 years of age at study baseline), who were tested at baseline and at follow-up (two years later). Variables included gender, age, sports factors (participation in individual and team sports, sport experience, competitive success, intensity of involvement in sports), and CSHD. The CSHD prevalence did not increase significantly over the course of the study (from 5.6% to 7.5%, p > 0.05). Binomial logistic regression with age and gender as covariates suggested that team sports participation correlated to CSHD prevalence at baseline, and follow-up, with higher risk for CSHD among those adolescents who quit team sports (OR = 9.18 and 2.68, 95%CI = 2.04–22.26 and 1.05–6.83 for baseline and follow-up, respectively), and those never involved in team sports (OR = 9.00 and 3.70, 95%CI = 2.07–39.16 and 1.57–8.72 for baseline and follow-up, respectively). A higher risk of CSHD at baseline was seen among those adolescents who were involved in sports for longer (OR = 1.66, 95%CI = 1.16–2.38). The results are discussed in the context of the fact that the study included adolescents at the age of rigid sports selection (the transition from youth to professional-level sports). Since the majority of participants began CSHD at an earlier age, further studies in subjects of a younger age range are warranted.

Predicting Tobacco and Alcohol Consumption Based on Physical Activity Level and Demographic Characteristics in Romanian Students

Background: This study aims to assess the relationships between alcohol and tobacco consumption, physical activity (PA) and demographic characteristics in Romanian students. Methods: There were 253 participants in this study (112 male and 141 female, age 19.2 ± 0.70 yrs; BMI 22.4 ± 2.2 kg/m²), students of Transilvania University of Brasov. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) were employed for the data collection. Results: Results showed that moderate consumption of tobacco and harmful consumption of alcohol had high prevalence among age, gender, year of study and PA level categories. Although the correlation coefficient showed no significant relationship between tobacco and alcohol use, it was shown that a negative correlation between tobacco and PA level existed. Further, age, year of study and PA level had a negative significant relationship with alcohol use among students. In the end, the tobacco and alcohol consumption prediction model showed heterogeneous coefficients. Conclusion: Full models of tobacco and alcohol use were differently predicted by variables, so PAL (Physical Activity Level) could predict tobacco consumption but not alcohol.

Health and Sociodemographic Differences between Individual and Team Sport Participants

Physical activity (PA) has been widely recognized as an avenue to improve health. Researchers have also found better health outcomes among adults who participate in sport when compared to adults who participate in other forms of PA. However, little is known about the health differences between those who participate in individual versus team sport. The purpose of the study was to identify differences in chronic diseases, conditions, or risk factors between individual and team sport participants. This study was a secondary analysis of data from the national Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey conducted in 2017. PA that was identified as sport was further categorized as an individual or a team sport. Odds and adjusted odds ratios for chronic diseases based on sport category were calculated using logistic regression. There were significant differences in all sociodemographic characteristics between the groups. Those who participated in team sport did so for more minutes and at a higher intensity and were less likely to report several chronic diseases/conditions. However, after controlling for sociodemographic differences between groups, only depression, general health, and smoking remained significant. The social aspect of team sport may be protective against depression but may also influence unhealthy behaviors such as smoking.

Protective or risky? The longitudinal association of team sports participation and health-related behaviours in Canadian adolescent girls

OBJECTIVES

Female sport participation is a prioritized action area in the 2018 Canadian federal budget for improving health and well-being. This study examined team sport participation prevalence and longitudinal associations with health-related behaviours among Canadian adolescent girls.

METHODS

We analyzed data from the COMPASS study. Participants included 1978 female secondary-school students who self-reported the following information at all measurement time-points (grades 9, 10, 11, and 12): socio-demographic, team sport participation status (consistent, intermittent and non-participator), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), dietary behaviours, smoking, cannabis use and binge drinking. Linear mixed models and generalized estimating equation models were used to examine team sport participation status in association with changes in health-related behaviours across grades.

RESULTS

The prevalence of team sport participation declined by an average of 38.4% between grades 9 and 12. Proportions of participants being categorized as consistent, intermittent and non-participators were 25.7%, 36.4% and 37.9%, respectively. Compared to non-participators, consistent participators reported significantly greater decline in MVPA (β = - 2.77, 95% CI - 5.36, - 0.18), and the increase in odds of becoming more frequent cannabis users (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.00, 1.26) and binge drinkers (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.04, 1.23) was significantly greater. Girls' team sport participation had no significant longitudinal association with dietary behaviours and smoking status.

CONCLUSION

Team sport participation outside of school settings is risky for prospective health-related behaviours in adolescent girls. Our findings highlight the need for investing in tailored participation initiatives that also consider how to prevent harmful substance use.

Factors Associated With Musculoskeletal Injuries in Children and Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal injuries may be associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom severity, comorbid psychiatric or medical conditions, and the prescribed psychostimulant.

METHODS

A population-based, retrospective cohort design was employed using South Carolina's Medicaid claims data set covering outpatient and inpatient medical services and medication prescriptions over an 11-year period (January 1, 1996, through December 31, 2006) for patients ≤ 17 years of age with ≥ 2 visits for ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes for ADHD. A cohort of 7,725 cases was identified and analyzed using logistic regression to compare risk factors for those who sustained focal musculoskeletal injuries and those who did not.

RESULTS

The risk of sustaining sprains, arthropathy and connective tissue disorders, or muscle and joint disorders was significantly related to being diagnosed with comorbid hypertension (adjusted odds ratios [aORs] = 1.60, 2.09, and 1.46, respectively) and a substance use disorder (aORs = 1.58, 1.38, and 1.28). Having a substance use disorder was also related to incident fractures and dorso/spinal injuries (aORs = 1.42 and 1.21). Diagnosed hypertension was related to incident concussions (aOR = 2.00), a diagnosed thyroid disorder was related to an increased risk of sprain and concussion (aORs = 1.44 and 2.05), a diagnosed anxiety disorder was related to an increased risk of dorso/spinal disorders (aOR = 1.71), and diagnosed diabetes was related to incident bone and cartilage disorders (aOR = 1.61).

CONCLUSIONS

Comorbid hypertension, substance use disorders, and thyroid disorders deserve increased clinical surveillance in children and adolescents with ADHD because they may be associated with an increased risk of more than one musculoskeletal injury.