Introduction: Smokeless tobacco products are a diverse group of products, from very simple to complex mixtures of tobacco and other ingredients. They do not involve a combustion process and can be used nasally or orally. Despite the harmful effects on health, in recent years there has been an increase in their use, even among professional athletes. Purpose: The purpose of the master's thesis is to research the use of snus among the population of amateur and professional athletes in Slovenia who are engaged in team or individual sports. Methods: We used a quantitative methodology. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Based on the literature review the questionnaire was prepared. The survey was conducted using non-probability sampling, according to the snowball principle. For data analysis we used descriptive statistics (frequency, mean and standard deviation) and interference statistics (chi-square test, one-sample t-test and binomial test). Results: Out of 149 accordingly completed surveys, 9 were former and 29 current snus users. The average age of the users was 29.6 years, and the youngest person started regular use at the age of 16. The most common reason for starting use was to relax, while the least common reason was to improve performance and reaction time. Most users came into contact with snus for the first time in high school, while only four of them were involved in sports. On average, respondents consume 8.5 portions of snus per day and use it for an average of 27.1 minutes. There is no statistically significant relationship between the frequency of snus use and the sport the respondents practice. Discussion and conclusion: The average duration of use of one bag of snus is comparable to data from abroad, but this does not apply to the total use of an individual in one day, which is significantly shorter. Athletes are aware of the weaknesses and negative impacts that the use of snus leads to, which is also reflected in the desire of a larger proportion of the selected population to stop using it. In the future, it is necessary to focus on the preparation of health education materials and activities that will address the issue of the use of smokeless tobacco products. With their in-depth knowledge of the field of smokeless tobacco products, nurses could provide additional professional advice and influence the reduction of their use. Above all, their health education work with young people is important, as a larger proportion of respondents started using it during high school.
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