Consumo de alcohol y factores asociados en futbolistas cadetes españoles (14-16 años) (Alcohol consumption and associated factors in Spanish football players from the cadet category (14-16 years))

El deporte en la adolescencia se asocia a un estilo de vida saludable, asignandole diversos autores un efecto protector ante el consumo de alcohol. El objetivo del trabajo fue identificar el consumo de alcohol y los factores asociados a este, en los futbolistas de la categoria cadete de la provincia de Las Palmas. Estudio descriptivo transversal en el que se estudio a 308 jugadores, determinados mediante muestreo por cluster, seleccionando una muestra aleatoria simple de 20 equipos. El instrumento de recogida de datos fue un cuestionario ad hoc . Se realizo un analisis descriptivo de los datos (SPSS 17.0 para Windows), empleandose para la comparacion de proporciones el test de la χ 2 . El 56.2% de los jugadores reconocio beber actualmente. El 13.6% declaro haberlo hecho al menos cuatro dias en los ultimos 30 dias, el 32.2% haberse emborrachado en los ultimos 12 meses y el 39.9% haber ingerido tres o mas vasos seguidos en los ultimos 12 meses, practica esta ultima significativamente mayor entre los que jugaban en preferente ( p <.001). El consumo de alcohol se asocio a diversos factores externos a la practica deportiva, entre los que figuraban, la practica de otras conductas de riesgo para la salud ( p< .01), la percepcion de no servir para la escuela ( p< .001), o la percepcion de un estilo educativo parental poco controlador y carente de afecto ( p<. 05). La notable proporcion de consumidores de alcohol entre los jugadores pone de manifiesto, la necesidad de estrategias de intervencion para su prevencion a traves de los clubes de futbol.  Abstract. Many authors consider sport among adolescents to have a protective effect against alcohol consumption. The former is in fact associated to a healthy lifestyle. The aim of this research was to identify alcohol consumption and factors linked to it among football players from the cadet category in the province of Las Palmas, Spain.  The present work adopted a cross-sectional descriptive analysis of 308 players selected based on cluster sampling from a simple random sample of 20 teams. The data collection instrument was an ad hoc questionnaire. A descriptive data analysis was conducted (SPSS 17.0 for Windows), and the χ 2 test was applied for proportions comparison. 56.2% of the football players studied admitted consuming alcohol. 13.6% stated to have drunk at least during four of the last 30 days, 32.2% declared to have been drunk in the last 12 months, and 29.9% said to have drunk consecutively three or more glasses in the last 12 months. This last practice was significantly greater among those players belonging to the higher division ( p <.001). Alcohol consumption was linked to different factors unrelated to the practice of sport, including engaging in other health risk behaviours ( p <.01), having low academic self-esteem ( p <.001), or perceiving parents to exert little control over them and to be unaffectionate ( p <.05). The significant proportion of alcohol consumers among football players highlights the need to implement preventive intervention strategies in football clubs.