High-risk behaviors in teenage male athletes.

This project studied high-risk activities in adolescent male athletes (ages 13-19) compared with a control group of adolescent male and female nonathletes. All athletes surveyed participated in one or more interscholastic sports. The prevalence of drug use by athletes compared to nonathletes was determined. Of the 19 drugs observed in this study, all were shown to have a lower prevalence of use among athletes in their senior year of high school, compared to the comparison group. Among the more commonly abused substances by the athlete population, beer, wine and whiskey, cigarettes, and marijuana were shown to have a lower use rate, by 25.5, 39.9, 57.5, and 57.7%, respectively. The prevalence of drug use by adolescent male athletes compared to adolescent nonathletes was also studied. Of the 19 individual drugs surveyed, all demonstrated a lower prevalence of use among athletes in their senior year of high school compared to the national data. The second high-risk activity measured was sexual activity. Of the athletes, 45.5% stated that they had never had sexual intercourse, compared to 50.0% of the nonathletes. Of the sexually active athletes, 81.9% had their first intercourse at between 13 and 15 years of age, whereas only 67.8% of the nonathlete control group had done so. This difference diminished significantly at age 16 and above. The results of this study suggest that participation in athletics by male athletes may lead to a significant decrease in drug and alcohol use and abuse but, also may increase early sexual contact. These trends were seen throughout all 4 years of high school in the athletes studied.