Young athletes say no to cigarettes, but not tobacco

Compared to high school students who don't play sports, high school athletes are smoking cigarettes less but using smokeless tobacco products more, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Data from annual surveys of youth show that from 2001 to 2013, the percentage of high school athletes who smoked plummeted from about 30 percent to 18 percent. The rate for non-athletes fell from about 34 percent to 21 percent.

But smokeless tobacco products such as chewing tobacco, snuff, and dip were a different story. Use was stable at about 6 percent for non-athletes, but rose from about 10 percent to 11 percent among athletes. (This particular report did not look at electronic cigarettes, which CDC data shows have been growing in popularity among teenagers.)

CDC researchers speculate that athletes are aware that smoking can hurt athletic performance, but perceive smokeless products as "harmless, socially acceptable, or perhaps even a way to boost athletic performance." In fact, smokeless tobacco use is associated with increased risk of pancreatic, esophageal, and oral cancers.

The tobacco industry has marketed smokeless products as a way around smoking bans.

"Tobacco-free policies that prohibit all tobacco use by players, coaches, referees, and fans on school campuses and at all public recreational facilities—including stadiums, parks, and school gymnasiums—might help make smokeless tobacco use less socially acceptable and reduce its use among student athletes," the CDC says in its press release.

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