Drinking by professional Australian Football League (AFL) players: prevalence and correlates of risk

Abstract

Objectives: To examine self‐reported patterns of alcohol consumption and experience of alcohol‐related harms among professional Australian Football League (AFL) players. Design, setting and participants: Cross‐sectional survey of player alcohol consumption and self‐reported alcohol‐related harms among members of all 16 professional AFL clubs. Data relating to the 2006 football year were collected between 25 July and 30 August 2006 at regular football training sessions using a self‐administered structured questionnaire. Main outcome measures: Risky/high‐risk drinking for long‐ and short‐term harm at different times of the year; Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score. Results: 582 AFL players completed the questionnaire (an 83% response rate). Alcohol consumption varied at different times of the year. During the playing season (approximately 22 weeks), the level of risky/high‐risk consumption for long‐term harm in AFL players (11/564 [2%]) was typically lower than in age‐matched Australian men in the general population (15%). However, risky/high‐risk consumption for long‐term harm was higher in AFL players during the end‐of‐season period (approximately 2 weeks) (303/561 [54%]) and vacation period (6–8 weeks) (231/559 [41%]) than in age‐matched Australian men. Risky/high‐risk drinking for short‐term harm on a monthly basis was frequent at all times of the year (eg, 395/560 [71%] in the pre‐season period). The mean AUDIT score was 8.8 (95% CI, 8.4 to 9.1; range, 0 to 36). Reports of harmful effects of drinking and negative consequences, such as getting involved in a fight (physical or verbal) while drinking (146/556 [26%]), were common. Risky/high‐risk consumption for short‐term harm on a monthly basis was associated with a variety of player characteristics, such as usually drinking in public locations (odds ratio, 1.55 [95% CI, 1.02 to 2.35]). AUDIT score was associated with variables such as marital status, with married players scoring more than two points lower (95% CI, – 3.58 to – 0.58) than single players. Formal club rules on alcohol consumption had little effect on outcome measures. Conclusions: Drinking among AFL players is intricately related to time of year. This seasonal drinking pattern requires the development of specific club and league strategies to minimise drinking‐related harms to players.

The Mental Health of Elite Athletes: A Narrative Systematic Review

“…For the purposes of reporting and analysis, studies were grouped according to the following major mental health constructs: anger and aggression ( N  = 2) [29, 30], anxiety ( N  = 4) [31–34], eating disorder and body image ( N  = 10) [21, 35–43], general-prevalence studies ( N  = 10) [23, 44–52], help seeking ( N  = 1) [11], sleep ( N  = 1) [53], stress and coping ( N  = 22) [64–86], substance use ( N  = 9) [54–62] and wellbeing ( N  = 1) [63]. The included studies examined athletes from a broad range of individual sports (e.g.…”

“…The studies on elite athlete substance use focused on either alcohol [54, 59, 60], or other drugs [55–58, 61, 62] (see Table 5). Studies related to alcohol use indicated higher rates of consumption in athletes relative to the general community [59, 60].…”

“…Studies related to alcohol use indicated higher rates of consumption in athletes relative to the general community [59, 60]. However, during the playing season, the rates of risky alcohol use may be lower than general community levels [54]. Studies focusing on illicit drugs suggested relatively low use (7–8 %) in the previous year [55, 56] but significantly higher combined lifetime use when athletes were asked if they knew other athletes who used illicit drugs (up to 45 %) [62].…”

A cluster randomised controlled trial of a comprehensive accreditation intervention to reduce alcohol consumption at community sports clubs: study protocol: Figure 1

“…The presence of the licensee will be required at all times alcohol is sold. The intervention will target the social and cultural environment of the football club by: prohibiting drinking games and promotions including cheap or discounted drinks,28 alcohol-only awards or prizes27 and all-you-can-drink functions; introducing a club-based alcohol policy; and routine patrolling of sporting club grounds to monitor and inform spectators of expectations regarding alcohol use and consumption at the venue. The comprehensive, multicomponent intervention utilises a three-tiered accreditation framework designed to motivate intervention implementation.…”

Interventions in sports settings to reduce alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm: a systematic review protocol

“…Given the prevalence of at-risk consumption among sports players and fans, interventions targeting alcohol consumption at sporting settings may represent an effective strategy in mitigating the adverse effects of excessive alcohol consumption. Such interventions may include the sale of low-alcohol and non-alcohol beverages22 and the prohibition of drinking games and promotions including cheap or discounted drinks23 and alcohol-only awards or prizes 24…”