Use of smokeless tobacco products among athletes

Uvod: Brezdimni tobačni izdelki so raznolika skupina izdelkov, od zelo enostavnih do kompleksnih mešanic tobaka in drugih sestavin. Ne vključujejo postopka zgorevanja, uporablja pa se jih lahko nazalno ali oralno. Kljub škodljivim učinkom na zdravje se v zadnjih letih opaža porast njihove uporabe, tudi med profesionalnimi športniki. Namen: Namen magistrskega dela je proučiti in raziskati uporabo snusa med populacijo amaterskih in profesionalnih športnikov v Sloveniji, ki se ukvarjajo z ekipnimi ali individualnimi športi. Metode dela: Uporabili smo kvantitativno metodologijo. Opravljena je bila presečna deskriptivna raziskava. Anketiranje je potekalo s pomočjo neverjetnostnega vzorčenja, po načelu snežne kepe. Podatki so bili zbrani s pomočjo spletnega vprašalnika, pripravljenega na podlagi pregleda literature. Za analizo podatkov smo uporabili deskriptivno statistiko (frekvenco, povprečje in standardni odklon) in interferenčno statistiko (hi-kvadrat test, t-test za en vzorec in binomski test). Rezultati: Od 149 ustrezno izpolnjenih anket je bilo 9 bivših in 29 trenutnih uporabnikov snusa. Povprečna starost uporabnikov je bila 29,6 let, najmlajša oseba pa je z redno uporabo pričela pri starosti 16 let. Najpogostejši razlog za začetek uporabe je bila sprostitev, najmanj pogosto pa izboljšanje zmogljivosti in reakcijskega časa. Največ uporabnikov je v stik s snusom prvič prišlo v srednji šoli, pri športni dejavnosti le štirje. V povprečju anketiranci na dan porabijo 8,5 porcij snusa in jo povprečno uporabljajo 27,1 minut. Med pogostostjo uporabe snusa in športom, ki ga anketiranci trenirajo, ni statistično značilne povezanosti. Razprava in zaključek: Povprečni čas trajanja uporabe ene vrečice snusa je primerljiv s podatki iz tujine, kar pa ne velja za skupno uporabo posameznika v enem dnevu, ki je pomembno krajša. Športniki se zavedajo slabosti in negativnih vplivov, do katerih privede uporaba snusa, kar se odraža tudi v želji večjega deleža izbrane populacije po prenehanju uporabe. V bodoče se je potrebno osredotočati na pripravo in dopolnitve zdravstvenovzgojnih gradiv in vsebin, ki bodo naslavljale problematiko uporabe brezdimnih tobačnih izdelkov. Medicinske sestre bi s poglobljenim poznavanjem področja brezdimnih tobačnih izdelkov lahko dodatno strokovno svetovale in vplivale na zmanjšanje njihove uporabe. Predvsem je pomembno njihovo zdravstvenovzgojno delo z mladimi, saj je večji delež anketirancev z uporabo pričel že v času srednje šole.Introduction: Smokeless tobacco products are a diverse group of products, from very simple to complex mixtures of tobacco and other ingredients. They do not involve a combustion process and can be used nasally or orally. Despite the harmful effects on health, in recent years there has been an increase in their use, even among professional athletes. Purpose: The purpose of the master\u27s thesis is to research the use of snus among the population of amateur and professional athletes in Slovenia who are engaged in team or individual sports. Methods: We used a quantitative methodology. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Based on the literature review the questionnaire was prepared. The survey was conducted using non-probability sampling, according to the snowball principle. For data analysis we used descriptive statistics (frequency, mean and standard deviation) and interference statistics (chi-square test, one-sample t-test and binomial test). Results: Out of 149 accordingly completed surveys, 9 were former and 29 current snus users. The average age of the users was 29.6 years, and the youngest person started regular use at the age of 16. The most common reason for starting use was to relax, while the least common reason was to improve performance and reaction time. Most users came into contact with snus for the first time in high school, while only four of them were involved in sports. On average, respondents consume 8.5 portions of snus per day and use it for an average of 27.1 minutes. There is no statistically significant relationship between the frequency of snus use and the sport the respondents practice. Discussion and conclusion: The average duration of use of one bag of snus is comparable to data from abroad, but this does not apply to the total use of an individual in one day, which is significantly shorter. Athletes are aware of the weaknesses and negative impacts that the use of snus leads to, which is also reflected in the desire of a larger proportion of the selected population to stop using it. In the future, it is necessary to focus on the preparation of health education materials and activities that will address the issue of the use of smokeless tobacco products. With their in-depth knowledge of the field of smokeless tobacco products, nurses could provide additional professional advice and influence the reduction of their use. Above all, their health education work with young people is important, as a larger proportion of respondents started using it during high school