title: Selected personality - related determinants of alcohol beverage consumption among Polish elite team sport athletes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many studies documented an increase in the alcohol consumption among athletes, particularly among representatives of some disciplines, such as team sports.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to analyse the consumption of alcohol beverages among Polish elite team sport athletes, depending on their sex, age and selected personality traits (general self-efficacy and health locus of control).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 517 Polish team sport athletes (251 women an 266 men). The subjects were examined with an original alcoholic beverage intake survey, General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scales (MHLC). Relationship between the intake of alcoholic beverages and explanatory variables (sex, age, psychological traits) was determined on multivariate analysis of variance and analysis of regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Beer turned out to be an alcoholic beverage which the surveyed athletes consumed most often (a few times per month on average). Wine, spirits and alcoholic cocktails were consumed less often (once a month on average). Multivariate analysis showed that consumption of wine, including dry wine, increased significantly with age of the study subjects (p<0.001). Women significantly less frequently considered beer and vodka (p<0.001), whereas men significantly less often preferred wine (p<0.05). The level of general self-efficacy did not influence the intake of alcoholic beverages (p>0.05). Lower levels of Internality were associated with less frequent consumption of beer (p<0.001), and lower scores for Powerful Others with lower intakes of dry wine (p<0.001) and vodka (p<0.01). Lower scores for Chance showed a significant association with lesser preference for alcoholic cocktails (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The frequency and structure of otherwise relatively limited intake of alcoholic beverages among elite team sport athletes were influenced by their sex, age and health locus of control.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  athletes, team sports, alcoholic beverages, personality traits, self-efficacy, health locus of control.
authors.affiliation: University School of Physical Education, Department of Sports Medicine and Human Nutrition, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gacek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D056352:Athletes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001515:Beer; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D011044:Poland; D020377:Self Efficacy; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014920:Wine; D055815:Young Adult