[A survey on the relationship between tobacco use and physical exercise among university students]

To determine the prevalence of tobacco use among university students who participate in sports activities. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study based on a self-administered questionnaire completed by students who participated in activities at a university sports center. The variables studied were age, sex, tobacco use, cigarettes/day, prior history of physical exercise, awareness of the regulations concerning tobacco use in force on the university campus, opinion on the relationship between smoking and reduced physical performance, and desire to quit smoking.

A total of 406 completed questionnaires were received (41.2% of the target population); 71.7% were from women and 28.3% from men. The mean (SD) age of the sample was 22 (3.6) years, and the prevalence of smoking was 30.3%. The mean number of cigarettes smoked per day was 10.5 (6.7) for the sample as a whole, 9.3 (6.1) for women, and 14.7 (7.4) for men; the differences were statistically significant. No significant differences were found with respect to the relationship between exercise and tobacco use. A total of 98.8% of the subjects were of the opinion that smoking reduced physical performance, and 46.3% expressed a desire to quit.

The practice of physical exercise during adolescence as part of a prevention program might interfere with the factors that lead young people to start smoking and thereby contribute to a reduction in the prevalence of tobacco use in the population as a whole.