aslan, hüseyin selçuk üniversitesi - spor bilimleri fakültesi, Konya, turkey , erdaği, kenan gençlik hizmetleri ve spor il müdürlüğü, Konya, turkey , işik, bülent il sağlık müdürlüğü, Konya, turkey , erdoğan, mükerrem akdeniz üniversitesi - sağlık hizmetleri meslek yo., Antalya, turkey , güvenç, alpay akdeniz üniversitesi - spor bilimleri fakültesi - antenörlük eğitimi böl., Antalya, turkey

The Prevalence of Smoking and Attitudes toward Smoking among Young Athletes and Coaches

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The aim of this study was to investigate smoking habits and attitudes toward smoking among young competitive athletes and coaches. This study was conducted during the 2016 Youth National Weightlifting Championships held at Konya. Data was collected from a total of 225 subjects through using a questionnaire including demographics, as well as behaviors and attitudes related to smoking. The prevalence of smoking was 33.8% and the mean age of the onset of smoking was 14.6±3.3 years, with young athletes having started smoking as early as 13.8±2.4 years of age. Nearly 60% of smokers reported smoking at least 10 cigarettes/day and started their habit before the start of their athletic careers. It was determined that 81.6% of smokers had a history of smoking for at least 2 years or more. Furthermore, 61.8% of smokers wanted to quit smoking, 63.2% had attempted to quit but failed and 81.6% of them didn t participate in any smoking cessation program. Notably, those subjects who stated that their performance was not negatively affected by smoking, had significantly more smoking behaviors than others. Given the high smoking prevalence amongst young athletes and coaches as role models in society, the current results highlight the importance of smoking cessation programs that are addressed to them.

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Smoking , Young Athletes , Coaches , Physical Performance , Health

Mediterranean Journal Of Humanities

55