Abstract

The current study explores the motivations underlying tobacco use among varsity athletes. A cross-sectional exploratory mixed method approach was used. Both tobacco users (TU) and non-tobacco users (NTU) completed an online survey of closed and open-ended questions. These questions focused on tobacco use, motivations for tobacco use, teammate and coaches’ perceptions of athlete tobacco use, and self-perceived effects of tobacco use on health and athletic performance. Thirty-eight completed surveys were included of which 12 were TU and 26 were NTU. The majority of TU indicated that they used products during the off-season. Motivations for using tobacco products included social influences, stress-relief, and increasing energy. TU mostly indicated that there are negative effects on their health but not on their athletic performance, whereas NTU reported potential detrimental effects on their teammate’s performance. Overall, varsity athletes who use tobacco products are aware of the health effects and negative opinions of their teammates.

摘要

目前的研究探讨了大学运动员使用烟草的潜在动机。使用了横断面探索性混合方法。烟草使用者 (TU) 和非烟草使用者 (NTU) 都完成了一项关于封闭式和开放式问题的在线调查。这些问题侧重于烟草使用、烟草使用动机、队友和教练对运动员烟草使用的看法，以及烟草使用对健康和运动表现的自我感知影响。包括 38 项已完成的调查，其中 12 项是 TU，26 项是 NTU。大多数 TU 表示他们在淡季期间使用了产品。使用烟草制品的动机包括社会影响、缓解压力和增加能量。TU 大多表示对他们的健康有负面影响，但对他们的运动表现没有影响，而 NTU 报告了对队友表现的潜在不利影响。总体而言，使用烟草产品的校队运动员了解其队友的健康影响和负面意见。