Tobacco-Free Sports and Recreation Policies

Tobacco-Free Sports and Recreation Policies
Well it’s like all over really so it’s really hard to avoid so like it’s always out there,
there’s always meetings about it, there’s like advertisement for it, there’s memos,
there’s everything so it’s like right at you the whole time like right when you walk
in the rink. (Player)
Attitudinal Findings/Support/Beliefs for TFSR Policy
In total, 36 survey respondents (72%) were in support of the team’s TFSR policy. The remaining
28% who had indicated they were not aware of the policy in the prior question responded ‘not
applicable’. Generally, the respondents agreed that players, team staff, and spectators have the
right to be in a tobacco-free environment. There was general agreement that smoking is not an
important social activity and that they had the responsibility to be a positive role model and
discourage tobacco use at hockey events (Table 7).
Table 7: Case Study III: Junior B Team–Attitudes and Beliefs (n=50)
Agree or disagree with the following statements about TFSR policies:
Agree/
Strongly
Agree
n (%)
Disagree/
Strongly
Disagree
n (%)
Neither
n (%)
Don’t Know
n (%)
Players have a right to play in a tobacco-free environment 48 (96) 0 2 (4) 0
Smoking and other tobacco use is an important social activity 3 (6) 46 (92) 1 (2) 0
It is okay to use smoke cigarettes at indoor sports events outside of
arenas
It is my responsibility to be a role model and to discourage tobacco
use at team events
It is important to protect players and others from secondhand smoke
at sports and recreation events
Team staff and spectators have the right to be in a tobacco-free
environment
It is okay to use chew (spit) tobacco at sports and recreation events
because it does not harm others
5 (10) 40 (80) 5 (10) 0
39 (78) 6 (12) 5 (10) 0
50 (100) 0 0 0
50 (100) 0 0 0
3 (6) 42 (84) 5 (10) 0
A tobacco-free policy goes against the rights of tobacco users 5 (10) 38 (76) 7 (14) 0
Tobacco Product Usage
In total, six Junior B survey respondents reported personal tobacco use. All tobacco users were
male. Three who identified themselves as spectators, smoked cigarettes on a daily basis; two
were aged 40-49 years and the third was aged 16-19 years old. One parent (40-49 years) also
Ontario Tobacco Research Unit 43