Research Report: Health Risks and the Teen Athlete

Athletes Were Less Likely To Use Illicit Drugs. Playing sports was associated with reduced risk for illicit drug use.

Key findings include:

1. Athletes Were Less Likely To Use Illicit Drugs.

Playing sports was associated with reduced risk for illicit drug use. Female athletes were less likely than female nonathletes to use marijuana, cocaine, or “other” drugs (such as LSD, PCP, speed, or heroin). Male athletes were less likely than male nonathletes to use marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine, inhalants, or “other” drugs.

2. Findings On Anabolic Steroids Were Mixed.

Male athletes overall were no more likely to use anabolic steroids than male nonathletes were. Female athletes overall, and highly involved male athletes, were both nearly one and a half times more likely than their nonathletic counterparts to use steroids; and highly involved female athletes were nearly twice as likely to do so. However, only about 2% of teenage girls used anabolic steroids overall.

3. Only Highly Involved Athletes Were More Likely To Binge Drink.

Contrary to popular belief, neither female nor male athletes were significantly more likely than nonathletes to drink alcohol overall, or to drink to excess. However, highly involved athletes of both genders were somewhat more likely to binge drink than nonathletes.

4. Athletes Were Less Likely To Smoke Cigarettes, But More Likely To Use Chewing And Dipping Tobacco.

Athletes were less likely than nonathletes ever to have smoked cigarettes regularly or to have smoked within the past month. However, both male and female athletes were more likely to use chewing/dipping tobacco; in fact, highly involved female athletes were more than three times as likely to do so as female nonathletes. Only about 2% of teenage girls used chewing/dipping tobacco overall.

5. Athletes Were Less Likely To Be Suicidal.

Both female and male athletes were less likely than their nonathletic counterparts to seriously consider or make a plan for committing suicide. Male athletes were also less likely than male nonathletes to actually attempt suicide. However, highly involved athletes of both genders who do attempt suicide were nearly twice as likely as suicidal nonathletes to require medical treatment as a result.

6. Female Athletes Had More Positive Body Images, But Were More Likely To Attempt Weight Loss.

Both female and male athletes were less likely than nonathletes to describe themselves as overweight. However, female athletes were more likely to try to lose weight; and though they were more likely than nonathletes to use dieting and exercise to do so, highly involved female athletes were also more likely to use vomiting and/or laxatives to lose weight.

7. Female Athletes Were More Likely To Wear Seatbelts, But More Likely To Drive After Drinking.

Findings regarding the relationship between athletic participation and vehicular risk were mixed. Female athletes were a third more likely than nonathletes to wear seatbelts. Female athletes overall, and highly involved athletes of both genders, were also more likely to drive an automobile after drinking than nonathletes.

Our results show that athletic participation has both positive and negative implications for adolescent health in America today. In order to guide athletes, coaches, parents, and communities to better use sports as a means of promoting adolescent health, a list of policy recommendations follows.

Policy Recommendations

The Women’s Sports Foundation developed the following policy recommendations in order to promote the health of adolescent athletes, especially girls. Given the widespread interest and involvement of American teenagers, high school and community sport are appropriate social settings in which to plan and implement community health interventions. A panel of leaders from education, government, public health, women’s health organizations, and sport was created to review the findings from this study and to identify policy goals. We gratefully acknowledge their expertise. The list of panel members and affiliations appears in the acknowledgments in the beginning of this report. The Women’s Sports Foundation Report: Health Risks and the Teen Athlete suggests that sport is a health asset in many young people’s lives, fostering wellness and reducing certain risky behaviors. Yet some findings also point to areas where the sports experience may jeopardize the health of girls and boys. The policy recommendations below, therefore, discuss the preventive aspects of high school and community sports as well as areas in need of reform.

Promoting Adolescent Health Through Sports

1. Create Federal, State, and Local Policy and Action Agendas to Support Athletics.

Educators and local, state, and federal policy officials need to evaluate the status of high school and community sports in their domains. Many school districts are experiencing the erosion of high school sports programs, a dwindling of public resources, and a decrease in athletic opportunities. In particular, poorer neighborhoods often lack the resources to support local teams.