Smoking at the sports club, next to the field, and on the terrace, it still happens. Although not all sports clubs are smoke-free yet, the number of Dutch clubs implementing a smoke-free policy is growing. Due to the lack of national legislation, clubs decide for themselves whether to become smoke-free. In her PhD thesis entitled 'Smoke-free Sports Clubs for a Smoke-Free Generation' APH researcher Heike Garritsen studies what factors promote the introduction of smoke-free policies, how the introduction of smoke-free policies proceeds, and how this could be improved.

Towards a Smoke-Free Generation

In order for children to grow up in a healthy environment, it is important that the places they frequently visit, such as sports clubs, become smoke-free. Not only because of the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, but also because of the example set for children. This is certainly the case, scientific research shows, when smokers are people whom children look up to (so-called role models), such as athletes, coaches, parents, and other adults.

There are also clubs that say, “We'll wait until the legislation comes. That's easier for us, because then it's also easier to enforce."
Heike Garritsen
APH researcher

Garritsen works from Amsterdam UMC and Tranzo, Tilburg University, together with various organizations in the field, including the Dutch Heart Foundation, NOC*NSF, VSG, and several Public Health Services (GGD’s). NOC*NSF has set the goal that in 2025 (almost) all sports clubs in the Netherlands will be smoke-free. For this purpose, an active campaign will be conducted in the coming years. With the results of her PhD research, a roadmap of the Dutch Heart Foundation has been further developed. This roadmap offers clubs a guide for the introduction of a smoke-free sports environment, including tips to increase support.

Surprising results

For her research, Garritsen conducted interviews at clubs that are not smoke-free yet. "We were curious to know why they had not taken the step towards a smoke-free policy yet. This showed that clubs often foresee potential problems. For example, they are afraid of losing smoking club members or decreasing bar profits as a result of the smoke-free policy. In short, there are all kinds of obstacles which sometimes make the board of the sports club think: "Well, never mind then." On the other hand, almost all interviewees saw the need to protect children from second-hand smoke and for adults to set a good example. Moreover, another study of ours at clubs that are already smoke-free shows that expected adverse effects of smoke-free policies do not always reflect actual experiences."

Garritsen also conducted interviews with more than 200 adolescents. At various sports clubs in the Netherlands, she spoke with youth players before or after their training to learn what they think about whether or not clubs should be smoke-free. "These conversations revealed that support for a smoke-free policy at sports clubs is high among adolescents. This is an important outcome, because it can encourage sports clubs that are not yet smoke-free, to convince them of the importance."

The 'child' argument

Creating support is important for successfully introducing smoke-free policies. "Based on our research, one of our recommendations is to engage in conversation with smokers: 'We might want to become smoke-free, what do you think about that? What would work for you?' Moreover, to create support, our research shows, the child argument is a very strong theme. By properly explaining why a smoke-free sports club is important for children, both non-smokers and smokers are often willing to take on the change."

"One of our studies further showed that enforcement of smoke-free policies is not always going well because, for example, it is not clear who is responsible for enforcement. So everyone is kind of looking at each other. It is important to establish and clearly communicate who takes on this task. Sports clubs sometimes also choose to become partly smoke-free, for example, by facilitating a smoking area on the venue somewhere out of sight. You don't have to ban everything all at once."

"Smoking and sports, those are two opposite concepts. They do not fit together."

Finally, Garritsen explains that it takes time to change the social norm regarding smoking. "Some clubs like to see some form of legislation for smoking at sports clubs. However, many people in our study indicated that smoking and sports do not fit together, that those are two opposite concepts. Partly because of this, I am hopeful that campaigns for smoke-free sports clubs will no longer be necessary in a while."

APH researcher Heike Garritsen completed her Master's in Health Promotion at Utrecht University in 2016. With an interest in prevention and doing research, she decided to find a suitable PhD position, which she found at Amsterdam UMC in a team with Dr Andrea Rozema, Prof Ien van de Goor and Prof Anton Kunst. "This research with the theme of smoking and the target group children really appeals to me, because this is a topic with a lot of social impact. Implementing smoke-free environments is essential, as it protects children from exposure to the harmful effects of smoking." Garritsen won the 2022 National Tobacco Control Research Award presented at the national NNvT congress. Interested in Garritsen's first four studies including recommendations regarding smoke-free sports? See this brief fact sheet.