PHOENIX--
Overall drug use among student-athletes is down and a fewer number of student-athletes are reporting mental health concerns than they did several years ago during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, binge drinking has dropped to a historic low and tobacco use among student-athletes is also on the decline.
Those are among the many findings included in the NCAA Student-Athlete Health and Wellness Study that was revealed this week at the NCAA Convention that has converged in Phoenix.
Thousands of student-athletes, coaches and administrators have gathered at the convention to discuss and debate a wide-range of topics impacting collegiate sports including Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).
In the aftermath of the pandemic, the student-athlete survey, which was administered by NCAA faculty athletic representatives (FAR), reveal the attitudes of more than 23,000 student-athletes across all three NCAA divisions.
Approximately 60% of men student-athletes and 69% of women student-athletes have said that they believe that there are adequate support systems on campus to help them access mental health services. Additionally, 70% of men student-athletes and 59% of women student-athletes said that they believe that their coaches care about their mental well-being.