Prevalence of tobacco use and passive exposure among adolescent athletes aged 13–14 years in Türkiye: A cross-sectional study
Tobacco Induced Diseases, cilt.23, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 23
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.18332/tid/202181
- Dergi Adı: Tobacco Induced Diseases
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, EMBASE, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Anahtar Kelimeler: adolescent, athlete, tobacco, use, passive smoking
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
INTRODUCTION Youth smoking and passive exposure is a serious public health problem. This study examined the prevalence of tobacco use and passive exposure to smoke among adolescent athletes. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted in Ankara, Türkiye, in 2023. It was based on the survey data from 201 licensed athletes, of whom 36.3% were female and 63.7% were male, aged 13–14 years, residing in Ankara province. The respondents were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their use of tobacco products and exposure to secondhand smoke. RESULTS The mean age of the respondents was 13.4 ± 0.5 years, with a mean sports age of 3.2 ± 2.0 years. Among the athletes, 92% (n=185) reported they never used tobacco products, 7.0% (n=14) tried, 0.5% (n=1) quit using tobacco products, and 0.5% (n=1) currently smoke tobacco. Among the adolescents, 59.2% reported passive exposure to tobacco smoke inside and 71.1% outside the home. The rates of daily secondhand smoking (≥1 h or <1 h) did not differ by gender (p>0.05), but weekly passive exposure was significantly higher in male athletes (67.0% vs 33.0%, p<0.05), as was no exposure (female: 34.1%, male: 65.9%, p<0.05). Among all athletes, 46.7% reported that at least one of their parents smoked, while 19.9% reported that both parents smoked. CONCLUSIONS Tobacco use among adolescent athletes in Türkiye is minimal, yet passive smoking is a significant concern. Given the high prevalence of passive smoke exposure reported among adolescent athletes, particularly at home and in outdoor settings, further attention to reducing such exposure is warranted. The low prevalence of active tobacco use in this population suggests that preventive measures may be effective in maintaining low smoking rates as these adolescents age. Significantly lower prevalence of active smoking among the respondents could be attributed to their active engagement in sports and their young 13–14 years age.