Harnessing the global expertise in drug use and drug prevention in physical activity settings: results from the Anabolic Steroid Prevention Survey.

CONSENSUS (Social sciences); INTERNATIONAL relations; PHYSICAL fitness centers; PUBLIC health; PHYSICAL activity; QUESTIONNAIRES; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; RESEARCH funding; DRUG utilization; ANABOLIC steroids

Recent decades have seen increased efforts internationally to prevent the use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) and other image and performance-enhancing drugs (IPEDs) in gyms and fitness environments. Yet, very little is known about effective prevention strategies. This study aimed to identify key risk factors for AAS use and assess the relevance of these risk factors as targets of intervention. Seventy four (n = 74) IPED experts participated in the Anabolic Steroid Prevention Survey (response rate: 62.4%). A total of 18 psychosocial and two behavioral risk factors identified in a literature review were rated by participants along two dimensions: importance and preventability. The results show that most IPED experts (91%) believe that preventing AAS use in gyms is important to public health, and that AAS use can be prevented to a certain degree (91%), but not eliminated altogether (85%). Based on participants' assessment, six risk factors were categorised as very promising (e.g. the descriptive norm and poor knowledge on AAS alternatives), 10 as promising (e.g. body dissatisfaction and drive for muscularity), and four as unpromising but worthy of consideration (e.g. AAS-using peers and perceived benefits of AAS use). To effectively prevent AAS use in gyms, interventions should attempt to reduce these risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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