[Sport practice and cannabis consumption in a representative sample of French high school adolescents].

PURPOSE

• To assess the association between cannabis consumption and sport practice.

METHODS

We randomised a representative sample of 1,506 girls and 1,420 boys from the third to the last year of school in the French Midi-Pyrénées region, excluding classes reserved for children practising high level sport. Information was collected by self-answer questionnaire.

RESULTS

More than 90% of boys and 70% of girls declared they practised sport outside physical education at school (athletic students). Among boys, sport practice mainly concerned activities in clubs or competitions (respectively 66% and 60%, against 35% and 27% among girls; p<0.001). Twenty-eight percents of boys and 19% of girls declared they had consumed cannabis (at least occasionnally, during or outside sport). Among athletic students, such potential consumption concerned 28.6% of boys and 19.6% of girls (p<0.001). Moreover, 1.2% of athletic students (n=7) declared they had already consumed cannabis during the practice sport with clubs or competitions. Among boys, this potential consumption increased with age, was lower among non-athletic students and the most athletic students, but was highest among those practising an individual "X-treme" sport (50% in this group versus 26% among athletes practising collective or non- "X-treme" sport; p<0.001). Potential cannabis consumption was also highest among athletes who declared they practiced sport for seeking emotions, who did not practise sport for health benefits but who considered that sport could involve taking risks.

CONCLUSION

It seems more important to consider how sport is practised rather than its intensity when assessing the association between sport and cannabis consumption. Indeed, sport appears to be more favourable for cannabis consumption when associated with ideas of emotion and risk and when practised outside of an organisation.