Tobacco use among high school athletes and nonathletes: Results of the 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey - Statistical Data Included

Adolescence, Winter, 2001 by Merrill J. Melnick, Kathleen E. Miller, Donald F. Sabo, Michael P. Farrell, Grace M. Barnes

Cigar Smoking Findings

Recall that while moderately and highly involved athletes were no more (or less) likely than their nonathletic counterparts to smoke one or more cigars during the past month, almost one-third of the male respondents indicated that they had smoked one or more cigars during the past month (less than 11% of the females responded the same).

Given the association between cigar smoking and mouth and throat cancer, this finding is disturbing. We speculate that we might even see greater cigar use among male adolescents if not for the following factors: Cigars are likely to stain and discolor the user's teeth, lips, and fingertips; the odor of cigar smoke is offensive to some; and advertisers have created few cigar-smoking celebrities with whom male adolescents can identify.

Smokeless Tobacco Findings

If the "good news" of the study is that athletes are less likely than nonathletes to smoke cigarettes, the "bad news" is that they are much more likely to chew and dip smokeless tobacco. Far from a safe alternative to cigarette smoking, smokeless tobacco has been causally linked to several oral health problems ranging from halitosis and periodontal disease to cancers of the mouth, throat, and larynx. Despite Major League Baseball's ban on the use of smokeless tobacco products in the minor leagues, and the NCAA's all-sport ban on the use of smokeless tobacco during NCAA practices and games (Wichmann & Martin, 1994), the product continues to appeal to a growing number of adolescent athletes. Recall that female and male athletes were 83% and 41% more likely, respectively, to use smokeless tobacco. Highly involved female athletes were three times as likely, and highly involved male athletes 64% more likely to use smokeless tobacco than were their nonathletic peers.

The attraction of young people to smokeless tobacco can be explained, in part, by the advertising industry's endorsement and glamorization of the product via the print media, outdoor advertising, entertainment events, stadium signs, on-site promotions, and sponsorship of major sporting events (Evans, 1998; Madden & Grube, 1994). In addition to the role advertisers and sponsors play in helping make smokeless tobacco the significant health problem it has become, we also should not overlook the powerful influence coaches and celebrity athletes have in shaping adolescent perceptions and attitudes. Consider the following comments made by teenagers in focused interviews about smokeless tobacco (Wichmann & Martin, 1994, p. 97): "Famous athletes use dip. One of the things that goes along with playing ball is taking a dip." "Walt Garrison [former star player for the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL] talked about Skoal. I wanted to be like him. He's a hero. I wanted to be one also." "My wrestling coach wrestles with Copenhag en in his mouth."

The fact that smokeless tobacco is openly used by the very role models young people look to for guidance and direction is disturbing to say the least. Horn et al. (2000) recently surveyed a sample of 566 West Virginia middle and high school coaches and found that 16% were current smokeless tobacco users, and 36% used the product when their athletes were present. The fact that smokeless tobacco has come to be associated in the minds of some young athletes with professionalism and success further exacerbates the problem. For example, it is estimated that 35--40% of Major League baseball players chew tobacco ("Bad News for Players," 1998). When youngsters can buy a product labeled Big Chew, a bag of shredded, pink confection (essentially gum) made to look like chewing tobacco, we see that changing young people's attitudes about smokeless tobacco will not be an easy task.