Sport participation and alcohol and illicit drug use in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review of longitudinal studies

Abstract

Sport participation can play an important and positive role in the health and development of children and youth. One area that has recently been receiving greater attention is the role that sport participation might play in preventing drug and alcohol use among youth. The current study is a systematic review of 17 longitudinal studies examining the relationship between sport participation and alcohol and drug use among adolescents. Results indicated that sport participation is associated with alcohol use, with 82% of the included studies (14/17) showing a significant positive relationship. Sport participation, however, appears to be related to reduced illicit drug use, especially use of non-cannabis related drugs. Eighty percent of the studies found sport participation associated with decreased illicit drug use, while 50% of the studies found negative association between sport participation and marijuana use. Further investigation revealed that participation in sports reduced the risk of overall illicit drug use, but particularly during high school; suggesting that this may be a critical period to reduce or prevent the use of drugs through sport. Future research must better understand what conditions are necessary for sport participation to have beneficial outcomes in terms of preventing alcohol and/or illicit drug use. This has been absent in the extent literature and will be central to intervention efforts in this area.

Sports Activity and Smoking, Alcohol and Drug Abuse among Students

“…It is likely that abusive behaviors among high risk males have already begun and stabilized and are not affected by sport in youth. In a systematic study on accomplished studies in this scope, it became clear that sport membership increase the risk of illegal drug abuse only during the scholastic period (35). This explanation highlights the importance of adolescence and scholastic period in the formulation of sport prevention programs, especially among males, since precautionary efforts in this area become less effective as males students grow older and pass the adolescence.…”

Influência do grupo de pares e uso de drogas ilícitas entre adolescentes brasileiros: um estudo transversal

“…Participation in sports plays an important role in the development of children and young adolescents, resulting in positive health outcomes, a positive mood, functional capacity and general wellbeing 32,33 . Currently, there is a strong interest in the relationship between participation in sports and drug abuse.…”

Body practices in rehabilitation alcohol and drugs users: a lifestyle setting

“…Outra variável que ganha destaque está relacionada à Educação Física escolar, que tem como objetivo trabalhar as práticas corporais em um sentido educacional (Kwan, Bobko, Faulkner, Donnelly & Cairney, 2014). A prevenção ao consumo de álcool e outras drogas, muitas vezes, aparece como objetivo das aulas, mas dentro de um campo social amplo e complexo, não tornando suficiente esse trabalho dentro da escola, como foi percebido na discrição do E47, que relatou sobre a aula de Educação Física na escola, informando que o professor "sempre saia para ir à diretoria, uns 15 minutos mais ou menos, aí a turma aproveitava" e quando o professor retornava a aula "a gente já estava pra lá de bagdá" por consumir cola.…”