Sports team participation linked to increased odds of vaping

Youth sports team participation is associated with increased odds of electronic vapor product (EVP) use, according to a study published online Dec. 12 in Pediatrics.

Eli Rapoport, from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues analyzed the 2015 to 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey cohorts in a cross-sectional study to examine the associations between sports team participation and past 30-day exclusive cigarette use, exclusive EVP use, and dual cigarette/EVP use among high school students.

Data were included for 16,790 sports team participants (1.7 percent exclusive cigarette users, 18.3 percent exclusive EVP users, and 5.5 percent dual users) and 13,972 nonparticipants (3.1, 13.4, and 7.6 percent, respectively). The researchers found that the odds of cigarette use and dual use were lower in association with sports team participation (adjusted odds ratios, 0.58 and 0.74, respectively), while the odds of EVP use were higher (adjusted odds ratio, 1.39). Sports team participation was associated with lower odds of frequent (≥20 days in past month) than intermittent (one to 19 days in past month) cigarette use and EVP use among exclusive cigarette users and EVP users (adjusted odds ratios, 0.30 and 0.74, respectively).

"Given the known pulmonary health risks associated with EVP use, as well as the consequences of these health issues on athletic performance, aggressive efforts must be taken to educate student athletes, particularly those participating in high-contact sports, about the demonstrated (and suspected) health risks of EVP use," the authors write.

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