Key result
Sports engagement is associated with ~70-fold lower smoking rates among male students.
Why the study?
Smoking and alcohol consumption are growing trends among young people, and their impact on academic performance and sports activities considering gender differences was unclear.
Cross-Sectional (n=1,500)
Yes
Engagement in sports, particularly at a professional student-athlete level, is associated with significantly lower rates of smoking and alcohol consumption among young people.
Smoking and alcohol consumption is a growing trend among young people worldwide. The purpose of this study was to provide students with a comparative analysis of adherence to harmful habits (smoking and alcohol) on the one hand and the frequency of sports and academic performance on the other, taking into account gender differences. The research was conducted in 2019-2020 in 5 cities of Russia; the sample included 1500 people aged 18.4 ± 1.1 years, divided into three equal groups. The control (first) group had students who are not engaged in sports, and the second group comprised students practicing sports but not professionally. The third group was made up of student-athletes. All participants were surveyed to determine the frequency of adherence to harmful habits. In the control group, boys smoked 50% more often than girls (p ≤ 0.05), while in the third group, smoking among boys was registered 70 times less often (p ≤ 0.001). Alcohol consumption in controls was 0.5 times more likely among boys (p ≤ 0.05). Harmful habits affect young people's free time and reduce their academic performance and ability to practice sports.
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Yermilova et al. (2021) conducted a cross-sectional in Students (n=1,500). Sports engagement vs. No sports engagement was evaluated on Frequency of adherence to harmful habits (smoking and alcohol) (p=≤0.001). Sports engagement was associated with significantly lower smoking rates, as male student-athletes smoked 70 times less often than male students not engaged in sports (p≤0.001).
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