Rapid weight loss can increase the risk of acute kidney injury in wrestlers.

Objective: Restrictive diets, forced starvation or voluntary weight loss are attracting more and more attention from scientists. Overall trends show that about 80% of combat sports athletes use specific methods of reducing body mass. Rapid weight loss could be a risk factor for kidney-related adverse outcomes. This study aimed to examine the impact of high-intensity specific training combined with rapid weight loss in the first and without rapid weight loss in the second phases on body composition and biochemical markers of kidney function. Methods: The study was conducted on 12 male wrestlers. Kidney function markers were measured, including blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, uric acid and serum Cystatin-C. Alterations in analysed markers were noted in both phases of the research. Results: According to the data, a significant increase was noted in blood urea nitrogen (p=0.002), uric acid (p=0.000) and serum creatinine (p=0.006) during the first phase in comparison with the second phase. The levels of serum Cystatin-C were slightly elevated after both phases compared with the initial measurement. Conclusion: It is evident that high-intensity specific training combined with rapid weight loss significantly affects the increase in kidney function markers compared with identical training without rapid weight loss. The findings in this study suggest that rapid body mass reduction is associated with an increased risk of acute kidney injury in wrestlers.

Analysis of the Relationship between Tobacco Smoking and Physical Activity in Adolescence: A Gender Specific Study.

Background and Objective: Although smoking and the physical activity level (PAL) are important determinants of health status in adolescence, there is a lack of information on the relationship between smoking and PAL in early adolescence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the gender-specific relationship between smoking and PAL in 14-to-16-year-old adolescents. Materials and Methods: The sample included 650 adolescents (337 girls, 14.7 ± 0.5 years at first testing wave) from Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the first testing wave, participants were tested using structured questionnaires. Second testing was commenced after approximately 20 months (16.4 ± 0.6 years). The variables were age, gender, socioeconomic status, living environment, cigarette smoking (predictors), and PAL (criterion). Predictors were measured at the first wave, and criterion at the first-wave and second-wave. Results: For girls, smoking was negatively correlated to PAL at the first-wave (OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.55-0.95) and at the second-wave (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.71-0.96). No significant association between smoking and PAL was found for boys. Results suggest that adolescent boys and girls do not follow the equal trajectories when it comes to relationships between smoking and PAL. Conclusions: In developing promotional public health actions related to a decrease of smoking and increase of PAL, a gender-specific approach is highly recommended. Further studies analyzing the cause-effect relationship between consumption of other types of psychoactive substances and PAL in this age group are warranted.

Evidencing the influence of pre-pandemic sports participation and substance misuse on physical activity during the COVID­19 lockdown: a prospective analysis among older adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: The physical activity level (PAL) has significantly decreased as a result of the social distancing and lockdown related to the COVID­19 pandemic, but there is a lack of knowledge on the correlates of PAL during the pandemic. The aim of this research was to examine the influence of pre-pandemic sports participation and substance use and misuse (SUM) on PAL during the COVID­19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 661 high-school students from Bosnia and Herzegovina (aged 15-18 years, 292 females). The investigation included 2 testing waves: before the COVID­19 pandemic (baseline, January 2020) and during the COVID­19 lockdown (follow-up, April 2020). The variables included PAL as measured by the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents, sports factors, and SUM. RESULTS: Sports factors at baseline were positively correlated with PALs at both baseline and follow-up. Smoking tobacco negatively affected PALs at both baseline and follow-up. Alcohol consumption was positively correlated with PAL at baseline but had no effect on PAL at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the importance of sports participation in maintaining PAL during challenging situations, such as the COVID­19 lockdown. The substance-specific influence of SUM on PAL before and during the lockdown points to evident social and cultural aspects of SUM behaviors in adolescents. Further studies evidencing the cumulative effects of PAL decline during the lockdown are warranted. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(2):151-63.

Does Participation in Sports Influence the Prevalence of and Initiation into Multiple Substance Misuse in Adolescence? A Two-Year Prospective Analysis.

Concurrent smoking and harmful drinking (CSHD) in adolescence is an important public health and social problem, while participation in sports is considered as being protective against CSHD. This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the influence of various facets of sports participation on the prevalence of and initiation into CSHD of adolescents. Participants were adolescents from southern Croatia (n = 711, 43.6% females, 16 years of age at study baseline), who were tested at baseline and at follow-up (two years later). Variables included gender, age, sports factors (participation in individual and team sports, sport experience, competitive success, intensity of involvement in sports), and CSHD. The CSHD prevalence did not increase significantly over the course of the study (from 5.6% to 7.5%, p > 0.05). Binomial logistic regression with age and gender as covariates suggested that team sports participation correlated to CSHD prevalence at baseline, and follow-up, with higher risk for CSHD among those adolescents who quit team sports (OR = 9.18 and 2.68, 95%CI = 2.04-22.26 and 1.05-6.83 for baseline and follow-up, respectively), and those never involved in team sports (OR = 9.00 and 3.70, 95%CI = 2.07-39.16 and 1.57-8.72 for baseline and follow-up, respectively). A higher risk of CSHD at baseline was seen among those adolescents who were involved in sports for longer (OR = 1.66, 95%CI = 1.16-2.38). The results are discussed in the context of the fact that the study included adolescents at the age of rigid sports selection (the transition from youth to professional-level sports). Since the majority of participants began CSHD at an earlier age, further studies in subjects of a younger age range are warranted.

Identifying Predictors of Changes in Physical Activity Level in Adolescence: A Prospective Analysis in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It is known that physical activity levels (PA levels) decline during adolescence, but there is a lack of knowledge on possible predictors of changes in PA levels in this period of life. This study aimed to prospectively investigate the relationship between sociodemographic and behavioral factors (predictors), PA levels and changes in PA levels in older adolescents from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sample comprised 872 participants (404 females) tested at baseline (16 years of age) and at follow-up (18 years of age). Predictors were sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, socioeconomic status, urban/rural residence, paternal and maternal education level) and variables of substance misuse (consumption of cigarettes, alcohol and illicit drugs). The PA level, as measured by the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A), was observed as a criterion. Boys had higher PAQ-A scores than girls at baseline and follow-up. Paternal education levels were correlated with PAQ-A scores at baseline (Spearman's R: 0.18, 0.15 and 0.14, p < 0.05, for the total sample, females and males, respectively) and at follow-up (Spearman's R: 0.12, p < 0.01 for the total sample). Logistic regression, which was used to calculate changes in PA levels between baseline and follow-up as a binomial criterion (PA decline vs. PA incline), evidenced a higher likelihood of PA incline in adolescents whose mothers were more educated (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.05-1.60) and who live in urban communities (OR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.16-2.10). The consumption of illicit drugs at baseline was evidenced as a factor contributing to the lower likelihood of PA incline (OR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.14-0.92). The negative relationship between illicit drug consumption and PA decline could be a result of a large number of children who quit competitive sports in this period of life. In achieving appropriate PA-levels, special attention should be placed on children whose mothers are not highly educated, who live in rural communities, and who report the consumption of illicit drugs. The results highlighted the importance of studying correlates of PA levels and changes in PA levels during adolescence.

Prospective Analysis of the Influence of Sport and Educational Factors on the Prevalence and Initiation of Smoking in Older Adolescents from Croatia.

The prevalence of smoking among Croatian adolescents is alarmingly high, but no previous study has prospectively examined the sport- and academic-factors associated with smoking and smoking initiation. This study aimed to prospectively examine the associations between scholastic (educational) achievement and sport factors and smoking in 16- to 18-year-old adolescents. This two-year prospective cohort study included 644 adolescents who were 16 years of age at baseline (46% females). Baseline testing was implemented at the beginning of the 3rd year of high school (September 2014) when participants were 16 years old. Follow-up testing was completed at the end of the fourth year of high school, which occurred 20 months later. The evaluated predictor variables were educational-achievement- and sport-related-factors. The outcome variables were (i) smoking at baseline; (ii) smoking at follow-up; and (iii) smoking initiation over the course of the study. We assessed the associations between predictors and outcomes using logistic regression models adjusted for age, gender, socioeconomic status, and conflict with parents. The educational variables were consistently associated with smoking, with lower grade-point-average (Baseline: odd ratio (OR): 2.01, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.61-2.55; Follow-up: 1.59, 1.31-1.94), more frequent absence from school (Baseline: OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.19-1.69; Follow-up: 1.30, 1.08-1.58), and lower behavioral grades (Baseline: OR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.10-2.89; Follow-up: 1.57, 1.03-2.41) in children who smoke. Adolescents who reported quitting sports were at greater odds of being smokers (Baseline: 2.07, 1.31-3.32; Follow-up: 1.66, 1.09-2.56). Sport competitive achievement at baseline was protective against smoking initiation during following two-year period (0.45, 0.21-0.91). While the influence of the educational variables on smoking initiation has been found to be established earlier; sport achievement was identified as a significant protective factor against initiating smoking in older adolescents. Results should be used in development of an anti-smoking preventive campaign in older adolescents.

Sport and scholastic factors in relation to smoking and smoking initiation in older adolescents: a prospective cohort study in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

OBJECTIVE: Sport and scholastic factors are known to be associated with cigarette smoking in adolescence, but little is known about the causality of this association. The aim of this study was to prospectively explore the relationships of different sport and scholastic factors with smoking prevalence initiation in older adolescents from Bosnia and Herzegovina. METHODS: In this 2-year prospective cohort study, there were 872 adolescent participants (16 years at baseline; 46% females). The study consisted of baseline tests at the beginning of the third year (September 2013) and follow-up at the end of the fourth year of high school (late May to early June 2015). The independent variables were scholastic and sport-related factors. The dependent variables were (1) smoking at baseline, (2) smoking at follow-up and (3) smoking initiation over the course of the study. Logistic regressions controlling for age, gender and socioeconomic status were applied to define the relationships between independent and dependent variables. RESULTS: School absence at the baseline study was a significant predictor of smoking initiation during the course of the study (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.8). Those who reported quitting sports at baseline showed an increased risk of smoking at the end of the study (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.0) and of smoking initiation (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3 to 2.0). Adolescents who reported lower competitive achievements in sport were at a higher risk of (1) smoking at baseline (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.1), (2) smoking at follow-up (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.1) and (3) smoking initiation (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.6). CONCLUSIONS: In developing accurate antismoking public health policies for older adolescents, the most vulnerable groups should be targeted. The results showed that most participants initiated smoking before 16 years of age. Therefore, further investigations should evaluate the predictors of smoking in younger ages.

An Examination of the Ethnicity-Specific Prevalence of and Factors Associated with Substance Use and Misuse: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Croatian and Bosniak Adolescents in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Substance use and misuse (SUM) in adolescence is a significant public health problem and the extent to which adolescents exhibit SUM behaviors differs across ethnicity. This study aimed to explore the ethnicity-specific and gender-specific associations among sports factors, familial factors, and personal satisfaction with physical appearance (i.e., covariates) and SUM in a sample of adolescents from Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this cross-sectional study the participants were 1742 adolescents (17-18 years of age) from Bosnia and Herzegovina who were in their last year of high school education (high school seniors). The sample comprised 772 Croatian (558 females) and 970 Bosniak (485 females) adolescents. Variables were collected using a previously developed and validated questionnaire that included questions on SUM (alcohol drinking, cigarette smoking, and consumption of other drugs), sport factors, parental education, socioeconomic status, and satisfaction with physical appearance and body weight. The consumption of cigarettes remains high (37% of adolescents smoke cigarettes), with a higher prevalence among Croatians. Harmful drinking is also alarming (evidenced in 28.4% of adolescents). The consumption of illicit drugs remains low with 5.7% of adolescents who consume drugs, with a higher prevalence among Bosniaks. A higher likelihood of engaging in SUM is found among children who quit sports (for smoking and drinking), boys who perceive themselves to be good looking (for smoking), and girls who are not satisfied with their body weight (for smoking). Higher maternal education is systematically found to be associated with greater SUM in Bosniak girls. Information on the associations presented herein could be discretely disseminated as a part of regular school administrative functions. The results warrant future prospective studies that more precisely identify the causality among certain variables.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Substance Use and Misuse among Kosovar Adolescents; Cross Sectional Study of Scholastic, Familial-, and Sports-Related Factors of Influence.

Adolescence is considered to be the most important period for the prevention of substance use and misuse (SUM). The aim of this study was to investigate the problem of SUM and to establish potentially important factors associated with SUM in Kosovar adolescents. Multi-stage simple random sampling was used to select participants. At the end of their high school education, 980 adolescents (623 females) ages 17 to 19 years old were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of smoking, alcohol consumption (measured by Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-AUDIT), and illegal drug use (dependent variables), as well as socio-demographic, scholastic, familial, and sports-related factors (independent variables), were assessed. Boys smoke cigarettes more often than girls with daily-smoking prevalence of 16% among boys and 9% among girls (OR = 1.85, 95% = CI 1.25-2.75). The prevalence of harmful drinking (i.e., AUDIT scores of >10) is found to be alarming (41% and 37% for boys and girls, respectively; OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.87-1.48), while 17% of boys and 9% of girls used illegal drugs (OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.35-2.95). The behavioral grade (observed as: excellent-average-poor) is the factor that was most significantly correlated with SUM both in boys and girls, with lower behavioral grades among those adolescents who consume substances. In girls, lower maternal education levels were associated with a decreased likelihood of SUM, whereas sports achievement was negatively associated with risky drinking. In boys, sports achievement decreased the likelihood of daily smoking. Information on the factors associated with SUM should be disseminated among sports and school authorities.

Disordered eating, amenorrhea, and substance use and misuse among professional ballet dancers: Preliminary analysis.

BACKGROUND: Substance use and misuse (SUM), eating disorders (ED) and consequent amenorrhea (AM) occur frequently in professional ballet dancing. The objective of this study has been to explore the prevalence and association between ED, AM and SUM in ballet. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample comprised 21 ballet dancers, 23.1±4.5 years old, members of the professional National Ballet Ensemble from Croatia. Variables were collected by questionnaires examining SUM, occurrence of amenorrhea, and corresponding ballet-specific and socio-demographic factors (Questionnaire on Substance Use - QSU) and the level of ED (Brief Eating Disorder in Athletes Questionnaire - BEDA-Q). RESULTS: Smoking is prevalent in 40% of dancers (25% smoke on a daily basis), 36% often use analgesics, and 25% engage in binge drinking at least once a month. Smoking and binge drinking are less frequent in ballerinas with a higher academic level (r = 0.60 and r = 0.54 for binge drinking and smoking, respectively; p < 0.05). Alcohol drinking is higher among dancers who consume analgesics more often and those with a higher BEDA-Q score (r = 0.53 and r = 0.54 for analgesics and BEDA-Q, respectively; p < 0.05). Amenorrhea is more prevalent among those dancers with a higher BEDA-Q score. Women who consume nutritional supplements are less likely to use analgesics (Mann Whitney U test = 2.11; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Efforts seeking to prevent ED in ballet should target dancers who consume alcohol to a greater extent. Future studies should specifically explore the less frequent consumption of analgesics among dancers who consume nutritional supplements.

Supplementation with Guanidinoacetic Acid in Women with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

A variety of dietary interventions has been used in the management of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), yet no therapeutic modality has demonstrated conclusive positive results in terms of effectiveness. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of orally administered guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) on multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI), musculoskeletal soreness, health-related quality of life, exercise performance, screening laboratory studies, and the occurrence of adverse events in women with CFS. Twenty-one women (age 39.3 ± 8.8 years, weight 62.8 ± 8.5 kg, height 169.5 ± 5.8 cm) who fulfilled the 1994 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for CFS were randomized in a double-blind, cross-over design, from 1 September 2014 through 31 May 2015, to receive either GAA (2.4 grams per day) or placebo (cellulose) by oral administration for three months, with a two-month wash-out period. No effects of intervention were found for the primary efficacy outcome (MFI score for general fatigue), and musculoskeletal pain at rest and during activity. After three months of intervention, participants receiving GAA significantly increased muscular creatine levels compared with the placebo group (36.3% vs. 2.4%; p < 0.01). Furthermore, changes from baseline in muscular strength and aerobic power were significantly greater in the GAA group compared with placebo (p < 0.05). Results from this study indicated that supplemental GAA can positively affect creatine metabolism and work capacity in women with CFS, yet GAA had no effect on main clinical outcomes, such as general fatigue and musculoskeletal soreness.

Examination of the community-specific prevalence of and factors associated with substance use and misuse among Rural and Urban adolescents: a cross-sectional analysis in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

OBJECTIVE: The community of residence (ie, urban vs rural) is one of the known factors of influence on substance use and misuse (SUM). The aim of this study was to explore the community-specific prevalence of SUM and the associations that exist between scholastic, familial, sports and sociodemographic factors with SUM in adolescents from Bosnia and Herzegovina. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, which was completed between November and December 2014, the participants were 957 adolescents (aged 17 to 18 years) from Bosnia and Herzegovina (485; 50.6% females). The independent variables were sociodemographic, academic, sport and familial factors. The dependent variables consisted of questions on cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. We have calculated differences between groups of participants (gender, community), while the logistic regressions were applied to define associations between the independent and dependent variables. RESULTS: In the urban community, cigarette smoking is more prevalent in girls (OR=2.05; 95% CI 1.27 to 3.35), while harmful drinking is more prevalent in boys (OR=2.07; 95% CI 1.59 to 2.73). When data are weighted by gender and community, harmful drinking is more prevalent in urban boys (OR=1.97; 95% CI 1.31 to 2.95), cigarette smoking is more frequent in rural boys (OR=1.61; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.39), and urban girls misuse substances to a greater extent than rural girls (OR=1.70; 95% CI 1.16 to 2.51,OR=2.85; 95% CI 1.88 to 4.31,OR=2.78; 95% CI 1.67 to 4.61 for cigarette smoking, harmful drinking and simultaneous smoking-drinking, respectively). Academic failure is strongly associated with a higher likelihood of SUM. The associations between parental factors and SUM are more evident in urban youth. Sports factors are specifically correlated with SUM for urban girls. CONCLUSIONS: Living in an urban environment should be considered as a higher risk factor for SUM in girls. Parental variables are more strongly associated with SUM among urban youth, most probably because of the higher parental involvement in children' personal lives in urban communities (ie, college plans, for example). Specific indicators should be monitored in the prevention of SUM.

CIGARETTE SMOKING AMONG 17-18 YEAR OLD ADOLESCENTS - PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATION WITH SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC, FAMILIAL, SPORT, AND SCHOLASTIC. FACTORS.

BACKGROUND: Though adolescence is recognised as a critical period for smoking prevention, there is a lack of research focused on this issue in Kosovo. The aim of this study has been to examine the gender-specific factors of influence (predictors) for smoking among adolescents in Pristina, Kosovo. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study sample comprised 1002 adolescents at the age of 17-18 (366 boys, 636 girls), all of whom were in the school's 12th grade. The predictors included sociodemographic variables, familial (i.e.,parental) monitoring, parents' educational background, and sport-related factors. The Chi2 and forward stepwise logistic regression analyses with a dichotomous criterion (smoking vs. non-smoking) were applied. RESULTS: The incidence of smoking was high (31% and 40% smokers, including 7% and 12% daily smokers for girls and boys, respectively). The regression model revealed more frequent absence from school(odds ratio (OR): 1.544; 95% confidence interval (Ci): 1.063-2.243), more unexcused school absences (OR: 1.360; 95% CI: 1.029-1.796), and frequent parental questioning (OR: 1.530; 95% CI: 1.020-2.295) to be significant predictors'of smoking among boys. For girls, a higher risk of smoking was associated with lower scholastic achievement (OR: 1.467; 95% CI: 1.089-1.977), more frequent absence from school (OR: 1.565; 95% CI: 1.137-2.155), increased conflict with parents (OR: 1.979; 95% CI: 1.405-2.789),and a self-declared perception of less parental care (OR: 0.602; 95% CI: 0.377-0.962). Sports were not found to be strongly related to smoking. However, a high riskof daily smoking was found among boys who participated in team sports and subsequently quit. CONCLUSIONS: This study reinforces the need for gender- and culture-specific approaches to studying the factors that influence smoking among adolescents.

Gender-Specific Analyses of the Prevalence and Factors Associated with Substance Use and Misuse among Bosniak Adolescents.

Ethnicity and religion are known to be important factors associated with substance use and misuse (SUM). Ethnic Bosniaks, Muslims by religion, are the third largest ethnic group in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, but no study has examined SUM patterns among them. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of SUM and to examine scholastic-, familial- and sport-factors associated with SUM in adolescent Bosniaks from Bosnia-and-Herzegovina. The sample comprised 970 17-to-18-year-old adolescents (48% boys). Testing was performed using an previously validated questionnaire investigating socio-demographic-factors, scholastic-variables, and sport-factors, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, simultaneous smoking and drinking (multiple SUM), and the consumption of other drugs. The 30% of boys and 32% of girls smoke (OR=1.13; 95% CI=0.86-1.49), 41% of boys and 27% of girls are defined as harmful alcohol drinkers (OR=1.94; 95% CI=1.48-2.54), multiple SUM is prevalent in 17% of boys and 15% of girls (OR=1.11; 95% CI=0.79-1.56), while the consumption of other drugs, including sedatives, is higher in girls (6% and 15% for boys and girls, respectively; OR=2.98; 95% CI=1.89-4.70). Scholastic achievement is negatively associated with SUM. SUM is more prevalent in those girls who report higher income, and boys who report a worse familial financial situation. The study revealed more negative than positive associations between sport participation and SUM, especially among girls. Results can help public health authorities to develop more effective prevention campaign against SUM in adolescence.

Substance use and misuse and potential doping behaviour in rugby union players.

The aims of this investigation were to compile evidence on substance-use-and-misuse (SUM) and to identify factors related to potential-doping-behaviour (PDB) in rugby union. The subjects were 105 rugby athletes (all males; 23.4 ± 4.1 years; 99% respondents). The variables included socio-demographic factors, SUM-data, sport-factors, knowledge-on-doping (KD), and PDB. Data showed high alcohol consumption, with more than 30% of the athletes binge drinking at least once per week. Approximately 52% of the subjects used dietary-supplementation (DS) and 23% reported PDB, whereas 55% believed that doping is present in rugby. Forward conditional logistic regression revealed that less rugby experience (OR:1.286; 95%CI:1.058-1.563; p < 0.05), less smoking (OR:2.034; 95%CI:1.100-3.760; p < 0.05), higher DS usage (OR:5.543; 95%CI:1.666-18.444; p < 0.01), and a stronger belief that doping is present in rugby (OR:0.305; 95%CI:0.066-0.638; p < 0.01) were significant predictors of PDB. The high PDB and alcohol consumption warrant a serious intervention on these problems in rugby.

Substance use and misuse among 17- to 18-year-old Croatian adolescents: correlation with scholastic variables and sport factors.

Substance use and misuse (SUM) and the relation to physical activity/exercise/athletic participation (sport factors) and scholastic achievement are rarely studied in Croatia. The aim of this study was: (1) to investigate the SUM habits in Croatian adolescents (17-18 years of age, 254 males, and 218 females), and (2) to study potential gender-specific interrelationships between scholastic and sport factors in relation to SUM. The testing was done using an extensive, anonymous, self-administered questionnaire that consisted of scholastic variables, sport factors, and SUM data. Descriptive statistics, counts, and proportions were calculated. Gender differences were established using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Gender-specific correlations within and between studied variables were established using the Spearman's correlation. The incidence of smoking habits and alcohol consumption among Croatian adolescents was alarming, and a serious intervention program should be developed to address this issue. Educational achievement was negatively related to SUM, with no gender-specific relationships. The data indicated some "protective" effects of the sport factors against SUM in boys, but a significant positive correlation between alcohol drinking and sport participation in girls was also noted.

Comparative analysis of substance use in ballet, dance sport, and synchronized swimming: results of a longitudinal study.

There have been few studies comparing substance use and misuse (SU&M) in different performing arts forms. Herein, we identified and compared SU&M in women studying an art (ballet, n = 21), a non-Olympic sport (dance sport, n = 25), and an Olympic sport (synchronized swimming, n = 23). The sample of variables comprised general, educational, and sport factors, as well as SU&M data, including consumption of opiates, cigarettes, alcohol, nutritional supplements, doping behaviors, and beliefs. Using the Kruskal-Wallis test, we found no significant differences between study groups in potential doping behaviors. Most of the examinees reported that they did not rely on physicians' and/or coaches' opinions regarding doping. Only sport dancers recognized their consumption of cannabis as a violation of anti-doping rules. Those more convinced that doping habits are present in their sport (or art) have a certain tendency toward doping usage. In conclusion, a strong anti-doping campaign within the studied arts is suggested, focusing on the health-related problems of SU&M.