Objective: To determine the rate of tobacco use among Aboriginal athletes at the 2002 North American Indigenous Games

Methods: A convenience sample of athletes completed a self-administered questionnaire. Survey items addressed tobacco use and knowledge of tobacco effects.

Results: A total of 163 athletes, mean age 19.6 years (SD 6.3), agreed to participate in the survey. Most participants were male (75.9%), with the majority being Canadian citizens (81.0%). Tobacco use rates were substantially lower than the reported North American average. Only 22 participants (14.1%) reported currently smoking and 58 (38.2%) reported ever smoking. Heavy smoking was uncommon; only 6 athletes reported consuming >6 cigarettes daily. All but 3 smokers (14.3%) indicated a desire to quit. Nine athletes (5.9%) reported currently chewing tobacco while 23 (15.8%) reported ever chewing tobacco. Most tobacco chewers reported daily use and a desire to quit (66.7% and 75.0% respectively). While age was not associated with current smoking, older athletes were significantly more likely (p<0.05) to have ever smoked (mean age of athletes who have smoked: 21.5 years, SD 8.0; never-smoked: 18.7 years, SD 7.2). Athletes were knowledgeable about tobacco effects on oral health, with over 92% aware of the association with periodontal disease, tooth loss, and oral cancer. The majority of athletes (110 / 75.9%) believed that tobacco use would increase the risk of social rejection. Forty participants (27.8%) thought that chewing tobacco was less harmful than smoking.

Conclusions: This study showed low tobacco use rates among study participants. Of those using tobacco, consumption levels were low and most indicated a desire to quit. These findings suggest that participation in organized sports may be a protective factor against tobacco use in a population known to have high smoking and chewing rates. Further research is needed to explore this hypothesis.

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