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Community Impact
Coaching Against Tobacco









Can youth sports make a difference?

The reasons for youth smoking are many and complex, but we have to ask: Can youth sports make a difference?  The good news is, young athletes are less likely to smoke than the general population.  The bad news is, there is no difference, or perhaps even a slight increase, in smokeless tobacco use among male athletes.  But we know from experience that coaches can influence athletes, and athletes can influence their peers.  So sports-based tobacco prevention is worth trying, as many national and local organizations have decided. 

As one example, the United States Centers for Disease Control believes that youth sports programs can indeed make a difference in reducing tobacco use among youth.  Through youth sports, young athletes can be encouraged to make healthy decisions about tobacco and other health risks.  In addition, these same young athletes can be equipped as positive role models to help other youth in their community decide against tobacco use.

With this potential in mind, the CDC has created Tobacco Free Sports - an initiative to support tobacco-free sports at all levels, with an emphasis on anti-tobacco education in youth sports.  Tobacco Free Sports has had a positive influence around the world, including a commitment to tobacco free Olympics in 2008 (China) and 2010 (Vancouver).  Tobacco Free Sports also provides many resources which we can use in our own local programs to promote tobacco avoidance among our athletes (see the Learn More box).  From the Centers for Disease Control:






The CDC is not the only source of ideas for sports-based anti-tobacco initiatives.  You can check out the websites in the the Learn More box for more ideas.  Or, Contact Us for more information and advice on how you can prevent tobacco use among the athletes on your team, in your overall program, or in the community. 

A call to action

The call to action is this: As coaches, we can assert a strong positive influence on our athletes to avoid tobacco.  We can do this with very little effort, just by talking about the dangers of tobacco and making clear that we do not welcome tobacco use on our team.  If we want to go a step further, we can also encourage our athletes to carry the anti-tobacco  message into their community of peers and younger children.  This is an excellent way for our athletes - and our program - to give back to the community which supports youth sports.  The resources above or in the Learn More Box can help use take action.






Thanks for being a coach!

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Coaching for positive youth development.

Despite everything we know about the hazards of tobacco, the numbers are still disheartening.  Nearly one out of four high school students in the United States smokes cigarettes.  One of ten male high school students uses smokeless tobacco.  Today alone, more than 3,900 young people will start smoking, and about 1,140 will become daily cigarette smokers.
Coaching Points

1. Tobacco use is still way too high among American youth.

2. Although smoking is generally lower among athletes, use of smokeless tobacco is as high or higher than in the general population.

3. As coaches we can assert a strong positive influence on our athletes to avoid tobacco.

4. We can also equip our athletes to carry the anti-tobacco message into their community of peers and younger children.  This is an excellent way for athletes to 'give back' to their community.

Learn More

Tobacco-Free Sports (Milwaukee)
Example of a local sports-based anti-tobacco program from the Milwaukee Recreation.

NoTobacco.org
The Foundation for a Smoke-Free America's website for youth in grades 7-12.

Kentucky College Athletes Kick Off Anti-Tobacco Campaign
A good example of how athletes can get involved

Things to Keep Athletes Tobacco Free
From the Special Olympics

Tobacco-Free Sports (Canada)
Ideas and tools from the Canadian Cancer Society

Smokeless Tobacco
A good article for your athletes from the KidsHealth website of the Nemours Foundation.



The Facts About Youth & Tobacco
From the Centers for Disease Control

Cigarette Smoking
Twenty-three percent of high school students in the United States are current cigarette smokers—23% of females and 22.9% of males.

Approximately 26% of whites, 22% of Hispanics, and 13% of African Americans in high school are current cigarette smokers.

Eight percent of middle school students in this country are current cigarette smokers, with estimates slightly higher for females (9%) than males (8%).

Nine percent of whites, 10% of Hispanics, 8% of African Americans, and 3% of Asian Americans in middle school are current cigarette smokers.

Each day in the United States, approximately 4,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 years initiate cigarette smoking, and an estimated 1,140 young people become daily cigarette smokers.

Other Tobacco Use
Thirteen percent of high school students are current cigar smokers, with estimates higher for males (18%) than for females (8%).2

Nationally, an estimated 5% of all middle school students are current cigar smokers, with estimates of 7% for males and 4% for females.

An estimated 10% of males in high school are current smokeless tobacco users, as are an estimated 4% of males in middle school.

An estimated 3% of high school students are current users of bidis; bidi use is more common among males (4%) than females (2%). An estimated 2% of middle school students are bidi users, with estimates of 3% for males and 2% for females.

Risk Factors for Tobacco Use
Factors associated with youth tobacco use include:
  • Low socioeconomic status
  • Use and approval of tobacco use by peers or siblings
  • Smoking by parents or guardians
  • Accessibility, availability and price of tobacco products
  • A perception that tobacco use is normative
  • Lack of parental support or involvement
  • Low levels of academic achievement
  • Lack of skills to resist influences to tobacco use
  • Lower self-image or self-esteem
  • Belief in functional benefits of tobacco use
  • Lack of self-efficacy to refuse offers of tobacco.

It is also worth noting that tobacco use in adolescence is associated with many other health risk behaviors, including higher risk sexual behavior and use of alcohol or other drugs.