Professional paper

Incidence of smokers among female handball players in eastern Croatia

Tea Zelić ; Medicinski fakultet Osijek, Opća bolnica Našice
Tereza Solocki-Matić ; Medicinski fakultet Osijek, Klinički bolnički centar Osijek
Dunja Stolnik ; Medicinski fakultet Osijek, Klinički bolnički centar Osijek
Anamarija Šestak ; Medicinski fakultet Osijek, Klinički bolnički centar Osijek

Abstract

The main goal of this research was to determine the incidence of smokers in Eastern Croatia among female handball players, and to appraise smoking habits and establish certain opinions among female handball players of smoking effects on their physical fitness.
This cross-sectional study poll covered registered handball players from 3rd Croatian Handball League East for women from the beginning of January till the end of May 2015. The research was conducted with anonymous questionnaires. The study group was given oral and written basic information about the research and all participants were volunteers.
The leading hypothesis was that handball players of the 3rd Croatian Handball League East for women do not smoke and that the same participants are familiarized with the bad side effects of smoking.
From a total of 100 participants 27 (27%) participants smoked. From a total number of smokers 13 (48.1%) participants smoked regularly and 14 (51.9%) smoked sometimes. Participants who smoked regularly usually smoked 5-10 cigarettes daily. The mean length of smoking age was 4 years. A greater number of participants (59.3%) smoked lighter cigarettes with 0.6 mg of nicotine or less. Most of the participants had been playing handball for more than 10 years and had trainings more than 3-4 times a week. A total of 66 participants was very well familiarized with the bad side effects of smoking. A greater number of smoking participants considered smoking to have no effect on their physical fitness. Most of the participants smoked before and after training/match.
This study has proved that the smaller number of female handball players of 3rd Croatian Handball League were smokers. All female handball players were very well familiarized with the side effects of smoking and considered smoking to have no effect on their physical fitness.

Keywords

smoking; handball; athletes

Hrčak ID:

167220

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/167220

Publication date:

30.9.2016.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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