Examining the Relationship Between School Sports Participation and Alcohol Use Among Middle School and High School Students

ABSTRACT

The study purpose was to examine the relationship between sports participation and recent alcohol and past-year alcohol use among students. A secondary data analysis of the PRIDE survey (N = 37,616) was performed. A series of chi-square analyses and odds ratios were conducted. Results indicated sports participation reduced the odds for past-year alcohol use among male students, but not recent use. Female students who participated in school sports often/a lot were at reduced risk for reporting both recent use and past-year use. Overall, sports participation had a protective effect on alcohol use. Recommendations for future research are included.

KEYWORDS:

• adolescents
• alcohol use
• PRIDE survey
• sports participation