Smoking Behaviour of Student Athletes and non-Athlete
WEST AFRICAN
JOURNAL
OF
PHYSICAL and
HEALTH EDUCATION
VOLUME 10
Editorial Board
Editor-in Chief
Dr. B.O. Asaeha
University of IbaLur.
Managing Editor
Members
A.O. Adegbesan. PhD
UniuersiVy of Ibadari
K.O. Omolawon, PhD
University of Diadem
Editorial Advisers
Professor Jimmy Coloway (Georgia] Professor
William Chen (Florida) Professor Gudrun
Doll-Tepper (Benin) Professor M. Kamil Ozer
(Turkey) Professor L. Zaichkowsky
(Massachusetts) Proessor J.A. Ajala (Ibadan)
Professor E.O. Ojeme (Benin Gift/) Professor
S.A. Adeyanju (Re-Ife) Professor L.O. Amusa
(South Africa)
2006
Smoking Behaviour of Student Athletes and non-Athlete
Smoking Behaviour of Student Athletes and NonAthletes in Selected Secondary Schools in Nigeria
O.O. Oyerinde1
Abstract
This study investigated the problem of secondary school students'
smoking behaviour according to the type of school they attend and
the smoking habits of secondary school athletes and non-athletes
in selected secondary schools in Nigeria. The hypotheses that there
is no significant difference in the number of smokers from federal
and state-owned schools and that there is no significant difference
in the number of male athletes smokers and non-athletes smokers
from federal and state-owned secondary schools in Nigeria were
tested. The data collected were grouped, tabulated and analyzed
using percentage and chi square analysis, where applicable.
The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The
results showed that male athletes and non-athletes in federal and
state-owned schools differ significantly in their smoking habits. It
was therefore recommended that sports handlers in bothfederal and
state-owned secondary schools should adopt sports and
recreation programmes in their schools for smoking cessation
among students.
Introduction
Studies in the area of drug use and abuse have revealed the
major factors in habit formation with regard to a particular drug
by individuals (Johnson, 1972;Asuni, 1974; Boroffka, 1985;
Martin et al., 2007). Cigarette is one of the dangerous drugs
used in many.
Smoking Behaviour of Student Athletes and non-Athlete
parts of the world (Miller, 1973; Jeffery, 2001). Olayemi (1982)
and Chantal (2006) have stated that drug abuse does not exclude
drugs like alcohol and tobacco. Such personal effects as
curiosity, acceptance by others, expression of independence,
boredom, need for relaxation, and school achievement have been
sighted as factors that lead people into drug use (Akindele, 1974;
Olatawura and Odejide, 1982; Gavin, 2005). Socio-cultural factors,
such as religion, parent's attitude and availability are also sighted
by some authors.
Other works (Ogunremi and Rotimi, 1979; Elegbeleye and
Femi-Pearse, 1974; Udoh, 1982; Miller, 1983; Fawole, 1986) also
revealed that cigarette smoking prevalence exists among
Nigerian secondary students irrespectively of religion, sex,
academic discipline, age and locality. However, studies
concerning students' smoking behaviour according to school type
and among athletes in Nigerian schools are so scattered and far
apart as not to make an impressive collection and a significant
impression, especially among scholars. Hence, this study
investigated the problem of students' smoking behaviour
according to school type. It also investigated smoking habits of
secondary school athletes and non-athletes, according to school
type.
The major hypothesis was that there is no significant
difference in the number of smokers in federal and state-owned
schools. The other hypotheses are that there is no significant
difference in the number of male athlete smokers and nonathletes smokers in federal and state-owned schools, and that
there is no significant difference in the smoking habits of female
athletes and non-athletes in federal and state-owned schools.
Methodology
One thousand secondary school students in two federal and
fifteen state-owned schools in Oyo, Ogun, Edo, Ondo and Lagos
states were sampled for the study. The two categories of schools
used formed the predominant school types in the states used.
Fifty subjects were sampled from each school, using the
systematic sampling procedure and utilizing the class registers.
Students who had participated in the school's annual interhouse athletic competitions were categorized as athletes, while
all others were non-athletes. In all,
Smoking Behaviour of Student Athletes and non-Athlete
510 (51.0%) female and 490 (49.0%) males were used, while
533 (53.3%) were athletes and 467 (46.7%) were nonathletes.
The data for the study were collected using previously
validated and standardized questionnaire (SPDG). The
questionnaire helped to determine subjects' background as
well as collect personal data. It also helped to determine their
levels of awareness of cigarette and the extent of its use. This
was done by dividing the respondents into various groups
using the following variables: religion, birth order, sex,
school type, parental status, smoking status, sports
preference, and parental status. The reliability tests carried
out in four secondary schools in Kwara and old Bendel
states revealed an internal consistency and reliability indices
of r=0.76.
Results and Discussion
Data collected were grouped, tabulated and analysed
using percentage and chi-square analysis. The hypotheses
were tested at 0.05% level of significance.
Table 1: Subjects' smoking status according to school type
All subjects
Male subjects
2
Female subjects
Fed State
Row
total
X
Fed
State
Row
total
Smok
ers
142 118
54.6 45.4 1
14.2 1.8
26020
1.16
NS
117
65.0
23.0
63
35.0
12.9
18037
NonSmok
ers
362 376
49.1 50.9
36.3 37.7
7387-1
146
47.2
2.9.9
163
52.8
33.3
30963
50.4 49450
50.5
le+06
263
54
2264
6
5e+05
2
X
14
Fed
State
Row
total
25
31.3
4.9
55
68.8
10.8
8016
216 212
50.5 49.5
42.5 41.7
42884
241
47
5e+05
26753
X2
9
NS = Not significant at p 0.05
level * = Significant at p 0.05
level.
Table 1 shows a no significant difference in the
cigarette-smoking habit of students from federal and stateowned schools. The A2 1.16 noted for all the subjects there is
not significant. Thus, the hypothesis that there is no
significant difference in the smoking
Smoking Behaviour of Student Athletes and non-Athlete
habits of students in federal and state-owned schools is
accepted. However, the significant x2 of 13:71 found for male
students and 9.22 for female students at a probability level of
0.05 supports the fact that male and female students from federal
and state-owned schools behave differently as far as smoking is
concerned. The percentage scores in table 1 for male and female
subjects show this fact more clearly. Among male smokers, 117
(23.90%) were from federal government schools, whereas only 63
(12.9%) were from state-owned schools. An appreciable
differential was also shown for female smokers in federal and
state-owned schools - i.e., 108% of female smokers were from
state-owned schools, while only 4.9% of them attended federal
schools.
The fact that a non-significant result was obtained for all
subjects, while significant results were found for male and
female subjects revealed that male and female subjects in the
two categories of schools, when treated separately, behave
differently in matters of cigarette smoking.
It was also revealed that whether a student attends a
federal or state-owned school does not constitute a variable
strong enough to influence his/her smoking habit. Therefore,
the view that students from federal government schools would
smoke more/less than, their counterparts in state-owned schools
has no significant scientific basis. In both school categories,
however, a rather low percentage of smokers is shown. For
instance, only 14.2% of subjects in federal schools were found
to be smokers, while 11.8% was recorded for subjects in stateowned schools (table 1).
Furthermore, the hypothesis that there is no significant
difference in the cigarette-smoking habits of male athletes and
non-athletes in federal and state-owned schools was rejected.
Table 2 presents the percentage and chi-square values of the data
collected.
The cigarette smoking habits of male athletes and nonathletes in federal and state-owned schools differ significantly.
Table 2 shows that a fairly high number of athletes (71
respondents or 39.7%) in federal schools are smokers. Besides,
the number of cigarette-smoking athletes exceeded the number
of non-athletes (14.5%, as against 9.4%) in federal government
schools. In all, the subjects from state-owned schools showed
a weaker tendency towards
Smoking Behaviour of Student Athletes and non-Athlete
smoking- only 29 (16.2%) of athletes and 33 (18.4%) of nonathletes from state-owned schools were smokers. The
calculated X2 of 15.44 is greater than the table value of 7,81.
Table 2: Smoking status of male student athletes and nonathletes by school type
Athletes
Non-athletes
Federal
Slate
federal
State
71
29
46
33
39.7
14.5
16.2
5.6
25.7
9.4
18.4
6.8
94
30.4
19.2
165
59.1
85
27.5
17.1
114
40.9
52
16.8
78
25.2
10.6
98
46.9
16.9
111
53.1
ROLU
X2
tofal
Smokers
NonSmokers
17937
30963
15.44
d/3 significant at p<0.05.
Table 3. Smoking status of female student athletes and nonathletes by school type
Athletes
Non-athletes
Item
Federal
State
Federal
State
Rou;
Smokers
11
15
14
40
8015.7
13.75
2.16
18.75
2.95
17.5
2.75
50.00
7.89
Non-
109
115
107
97
428
Smokers
25.46
21.45
12048
26.86
22.63
1 3052
25.00
21.06
22.66.2
19.09
13753
508100
Xs
total
Column
12147
Total
d/.3 significant at p<0.05
The data in table 3 show a significant difference in the
smoking habits of female athletes and non-athletes in
federal and state-
* 25.89
Smoking Behaviour of Student Athletes and non-Athlete
owned schools. In other words, female athletes and non-athletes
from state schools smoke more than their peers from federal
schools - 2.95% of non-athletes female' students in federal
schools are smokers. However, table 3 further indicates a
generally lower number of cigarette smoking female athletes
than non-athletes -15.74% of them smoke, as compared to
84.25% of non-smokers.
Also the data revealed that the hypothesis which states that
there is no significant difference in the smoking habits of female
athletes and non-athletes in federal and state-owned schools
was rejected, as the calculated chi-square of 25.89 at p<0.05 is
greater than the table value of 7.89.
The results of the study were consistent with those of Horn
(1963), Lewis (2001) and Martin et al. (2009), who analysed the
syndrome of interrelated measures in smoking behaviours and
concluded that the failure to achieve peer group status,
satisfaction and scholastic goals could predispose adolescents to
smoking. The explanation also applies to male students from
federal schools who, after gaining admission into these schools,
soon discover that they have to compete with a lot of brilliant
students from others states. When these students discover that
they cannot measure up, they resort to such activities as
smoking to 'maintain' their locus standi. Anderson (1970), Jcifery
(2001) and Chanlal (2006) found that, when adolescents
recognize that they are not superior to their peers and/or they are
found to possess certain inadequacies, they begin to consider the
notion of behavioural change. Horn (1963) and Lewis (2001)
asserted that expected behavioural changes range from cigarette
smoking to drug addiction, sexual variance, truancy and other
forms of delinquency.
Conclusion and Recommendations
From the results of the study, the following conclusions are
made:
1. Students from federal government schools do not
differ
significantly from students who attend state schools in
their
smoking habits.
2. Male athletes and non-athletes in federal and stateowned
secondary schools, especially in western Nigeria,
differ
significantly in their smoking habits.
Smoking Behaviour of Student Athletes and non-Athlete
3. Female athletes and non-athletes from federal and stateowned secondary school will behave differently with regard to
cigarette smoking. Based on the findings and conclusion, the
following are recommended to control the prevalence of smoking
among Nigerian secondary school students:
4. Government should intensify campaigns and
public enlightenment programmes to educate people,
especially adolescents, on the hazards of cigarette smoking.
5. The ministries of education and health, in collaboration
with the West African Examinations Council, should set
up machineries to complement the teaching of drug cessation
counselling set out in school curricula.
6. Sports handlers in both federal and state-owned
secondary schools should adopt sports and recreation
programmes in schools for smoking cessation among students.
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