A Comparison of Lifestyle Behaviors Between Student-Athletes and Non-Athletes

Background/Purpose: The majority of young adults, particularly college students, consumed alcohol (Johnston et al., 2009); whereas a substantial proportion of those who consumed alcohol misused it and resulted in a host of harmful consequences (O’Malley & Johnston 2002; Perkins 2002). Previous research (e.g., Gary, 2001) indicated that 80.5% of student-athletes had consumed alcohol in the past 12 months, followed by the use of marijuana (28.4%). Berning, Adams, DeBeliso, Stamford, and Newman (2008) found that anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) users at the collegiate level expressed a desire to improve their physical performance (48%) or to enhance their physical appearance (45%). However, Harmer (2009) argued that participation in sports may actually prevent the use of AAS in student-athletes. The purpose of this study was to compare the lifestyle between student-athletes and non-athletes in a university setting.  

Method: Participants (N=123) were undergraduate students in a small private university located at the Midwestern region of the United States. The survey instrument included a lifestyle habit section (25 items) that measured alcohol consumption, exercise frequency, sleep patterns, steroid use, and marijuana use as well as four demographic variables. Item response was based on a 5-point Likert scale (e.g., 1=strongly disagree, 3=neutral, 5=strongly agree). SPSS 11.5 for Windows was used for data analysis. Factorial 2(gender) x 2(student-athlete status) ANOVAs were used to examine the main effects and interaction of these variables.   

Analysis/Results: Results of the factorial 2x2 ANOVAs indicated that there were no significant (p >.05) interactions between gender and student-athlete status in the following five categories: alcohol consumption, exercise frequency, sleep patterns, steroid use, and marijuana use. There were also no significant (p >.05) gender main effects on the above categories except exercise frequency (F =6.607, p =.011). Furthermore, significant main effects were found between student-athletes and non-athletes in the following three categories: alcohol consumption (F =10.426, p =.002), exercise frequency (F =64.284, p <.001), and marijuana use (F =10.820, p =.001). Overall, student-athletes were found to consume less alcohol, exercise more, and less likely to use marijuana than non-athletes. Male students were found to exercise more, but also more likely to use steroid, than their counterparts.

Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, more effective substance prevention programs can be created for the students, particularly traditional students (non-athletes), in the university. Specifically, innovative exercise programs should be introduced to the students across the campus, whereas programs pertaining to decreasing steroid use should be targeted towards male students.