Substance Use is Common Among Teens and Student
Athletes: Administrators and Coaches Must Help to Educate,
Administrate, & Support
A recent research report issued by the Center for
Disease Control (CDC) (2004) indicated that while the percentage of high school students
that are engaging in risky health behaviors has decreased (i.e., engaging in sexual
intercourse, physical fighting, and tobacco and alcohol use) there is still a large
percentage of students that are partaking in these behaviors (see full report at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/yrbs/index.htm). Another report, issued by the Women’s Sports
Foundation (2001), indicated that teen athletes were more likely than their non-athlete
counterparts to engage in some risky health behaviors, such as the use of chewing and
dipping tobacco, binge drinking, and drinking and driving.
The findings of both of these studies affirm the need for coaches, athletic
administrators, and parents to educate student athletes on the health risks involved and
to also establish effective and appropriate policy, rules, and guidelines that target the
prevention and reduction of substance use among student athletes. The following are brief descriptions and links to
websites that may be helpful in your campaign against substance abuse.
Smokeless Tobacco- The Facts
Website includes information from the National Spit Tobacco
Education Program about the effects of using smokeless tobacco and oral cancer. Provides tips on how to quit using along with
other resources for educating others about the risks of using smokeless tobacco. http://www.nstep.org/nstep.shtml.
For Coaches and Parents-
Information, Advice, and News on Drugs
Information on steroids and other illicit drugs, including the risks and signs of
use, provided for coaches and parents. Offers suggestions for encouraging drug-free sport
involvement, as well as information for coaches on how to deal with drug use amongst his
or her athletes. http://www.theantidrug.com/get_involved/sports_index.asp.
Freevibe.com & checkyourself.org- Targeting Teen Drug Awareness
Websites offer facts on drugs and current news related to teens working to prevent
drug use as well as real life substance abuse stories.
These websites also offer advice on how to deal with friends who are using drugs.
Visit www.freevibe.com (National Youth Anti-Drug
Media Campaign) and www.checkyourself.org
(Partnership for a Drug-Free America).
Against Drinking and Driving
Websites offer information about television programming, drinking and driving
facts, and state laws, as well as resources for information about how to communicate with
teens about alcohol-related issues. Visit http://www.pbs.org/justone/justo5.htm
(Public Broadcasting Service), http://www.jointogether.org/sa/issues/hot_issues/drinking/
(Join Together Online), http://www.whatsdrivingyou.org/
(What’s Driving You?), and http://www.ncadd.com/
(National Commission Against Drunk Driving).
Find a Program to Help Combat
Substance Use in Your School and Community
United States Department of Health and Human Services offers a descriptive listing
of prevention programs that have been assessed for the effectiveness of reducing and
preventing substance abuse in United States communities. You may search the program
database by selecting the program content you are interested in, including those targeting
student athletes (e.g., ATLAS), at www.modelprograms.samhsa.gov. (Other related websites that may be of interest:
http://www.health.org/, www.nationalfamilies.org.)
Tobacco-Free Sports Playbook
The Tobacco-Free Sports Playbook is a free resource created by the CDC and designed
to help school administrators, state and local health departments, certified athletic
trainers, and coaches to reach out to young people with messages about the importance of
choosing a healthy, active, and tobacco-free lifestyle.
You can download a copy from the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/tobacco or hard copies can be
obtained by writing or calling the following: E-mail a request to: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov or Toll-free hotline: (800)
CDC-1311 |
