Playing Contact Sports in High School Could Raise Risk of Future Prescription Stimulant Misuse

High school seniors who play contact sports such as football and hockey may be more likely to misuse prescription stimulants in the decade after graduation, a new study finds.

Researchers at the University of Michigan assessed how high school sports participation was linked with prescription medication misuse a decade later. The study included 4,772 high school seniors, who were followed for a decade, HealthDay reports. The researchers looked at high-contact (football, ice hockey, lacrosse and wrestling), semi-contact (baseball, basketball, field hockey and soccer) and noncontact sports (cross country, gymnastics, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball and weightlifting).

They found high school seniors who played contact sports were about 50% more likely to misuse prescription stimulants in the decade after graduation, compared with those who did not participate in these types of sports.

“The findings reinforce screening during adolescence as nearly one-in-three high school seniors engage in prescription drug misuse,” senior author Sean Esteban McCabe said in a news release. “Increased prescription stimulant misuse following high school warrants ongoing monitoring during young adulthood, especially among athletes.”