Key result
Physical activity and sport participation are not linked to smoking prevalence among university students.
Why the study?
Few studies have examined the associations between physical activity levels, sport participation, and cigarette smoking among university students, particularly in the period following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Are physical activity levels and sport participation associated with a reduced likelihood of cigarette smoking among university students after the COVID-19 pandemic?
Cross-Sectional (n=761)
Yes
Are physical activity levels and sport participation associated with a reduced likelihood of cigarette smoking among university students after the COVID-19 pandemic?
Effect estimate: OR 0.88 (95% CI 0.75-1.05)
Physical activity and sport participation were not associated with a reduced likelihood of cigarette smoking among university students in the post-COVID-19 period.
No association seen in cross-sectional data; leaves open any protective role of activity on post-pandemic student smoking.
Cigarette smoking (CS) and low physical activity levels (PAL) are known to be risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. However, few studies have examined the associations between these factors in population of university students, and, to the best of our knowledge, no study examined this issue in period after the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the detrimental social and health consequences of the pandemic. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine associations between sport-participation, PAL and CS among university-level students in the first year after the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 761 students (411 females) from three universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, who were tested using semi-structured anonymous questionnaires at the beginning of the 2022/2023 academic year. Questions included queries on sociodemographic characteristics, CS, PAL, and sport-participation. Differences between genders were established by Chi-square test and gender-stratified logistic regressions were calculated to evaluate the associations between sport-participation and PAL, with binomized CS (smoking vs. non-smoking). One third of participants were daily smokers. Logistic regression showed no correlation between PAL and smoking prevalence for total sample (OR = 0.88, 95%CI: 0.75-1.05), males (OR = 0.95, 95%CI: 0.41-1.45), or females (OR = 0.90, 95%CI: 0.54-1.52). In addition, sport participation was not significantly associated with smoking. Results did not prove that sport and physical exercising are a way of reducing the likelihood of smoking; this finding could be a characteristic of the studied sample of participants, but could also be related to the period that was observed (the first year after the COVID-19 pandemic). Further studies examining the associations between PAL/sport participation and other types of substance misuse are warranted.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Drenjak et al. (2023) conducted a cross-sectional in Cigarette smoking (n=761). Physical activity level (PAL) and sport participation vs. Low physical activity and no sport participation was evaluated on Association between physical activity level and smoking prevalence (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.75-1.05). Physical activity levels and sport participation were not significantly associated with cigarette smoking prevalence among university students in the first year after the COVID-19 pandemic (OR 0.88).
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: