Affiliations: [a] Goethe University, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Social Medicine and Environmental Medicine, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| [b] Department of Sports and Exercise Medicine, University of Hamburg, Institute of Human Movement Science, Hamburg, Germany
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Eileen M. Wanke, Institute of Occupational, Environmental and Social Medicine, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, Haus 9b, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Tel.: +49 6963016650; Fax:+49 696301705; E-mail: wanke@med.uni-frankfurt.de.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Dance teachers (DTs) give lessons on various professional and amateur genres. Up to the present, little has been known on health-related behavior regarding the consumption of substances such as inhalant and synthetic substances, cocaine, cannabis/marijuana (c/m), anabolic steroids and naturally occurring hallucinogens in dance teachers. RELEVANCE:To analyze the consumption of these substances as well as to determine influencing variables due to their role model function (educational level, prevalence of injuries, BMI and income). METHODS:N = 236 (m: n = 53, f: n = 183) professional DTs participated in the single cross-sectional cohort study. RESULTS:The majority of DTs had a single or occasional use of the tested substances. This coincides with the results of the general population. C/m was the most frequently consumed substance with a prevalence of up to 40.1% (m). Only a few significant gender-specific differences were observed. There were weak gender-specific correlations between the consumption of substances and educational level (f) and income (m and f) or injuries (f). CONCLUSION:Due to the specific occupational stress DTs are exposed to, a use of substances would be conceivable. However, apart from cannabis/marijuana (c/m), the consumption of psychoactive substances in DTs seems to be negligible. However, attention should be paid to the significant proportion of dance teachers having tried out substances.
Keywords: Physical education teacher, psychoactive substances, gender specific differences, prevention
