Drugs, Recreational Drug Use and Attitudes Towards Doping of High School Athletes

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the substances used, and the attitudes towards doping of high school athletes. A four-page, self-completed questionnaire was designed to determine the drugs used (licit, illicit and doping substances) along with beliefs about doping and the psychosociological factors associated with their consumption. The questionnaire was distributed to all the high school students enrolled in a school sports association in the Lorraine region in Eastern France. The completed forms were received from 1459 athletes: 4 % stated that they had used doping agents at least once in their life (their main source of supply being peers and health professionals). Thirty-four percent of the sample smoked some tobacco, 66 % used alcohol, 19 % cannabis, 4 % ecstasy, 10 % tranquillizers, 9 % hypnotics, 4 % creatine and 41 % used vitamins against fatigue. Beliefs about doping did not differ among doping agent users and non-users, except for the associated health risks which were minimized by users. Users of doping agents stated that the quality of the relations that they maintain with their parents is sharply degraded, and they reported that they are susceptible to influence and difficult to live with. More often than non-doping agent users, these adolescents are neither happy, nor healthy, while paradoxically, they seem less anxious and they are more self-confident. Our findings suggest that doping prevention among young athletes cannot be limited uniquely to the list of banned drugs.

Key words

Doping in sports - adolescents - high school - drug use

References

• 1 Arènes J, Janvrin M P, Baudier F. 97/98 Health and Youth Barometer. Vanves: CFES,. 1998: 135-219
• 2 Choquet M, Bourdesol H, Arvers P, Guilbert P, de Peretti C. Youth and sports. Associated troubles and behaviors. Paris: INJEP. 2001: 52-56
• 3 Comité d’Education extra-scolaire .Doping in sports. Strasbourg: Council of Europe 1963: 35-36
• 4 DuRant R H, Rickert V I, Ashworth C S, Newman C, Slavens G. Use of multiple drugs among adolescents who use anabolic steroids.  New Engl J Med. 1993;  328 922-926
• 5 Goldberg L, MacKinnon D P, Elliot D L, Moe E L, Clarke G, Cheong J. The adolescents training and learning to avoid steroids program: preventing drug use and promoting health behaviors.  Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;  4 332-338
• 6 Hansen W B, McNeal R B. Drug education practice: results of an observational study.  Health Educ Res. 1999;  1 85-97
• 7 Hawkins J D, Catalano R F, Miller J Y. Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: implications for substance abuse prevention.  Psychological Bull. 1992;  112 64-105
• 8 Kindlundh A M, Isacson D G, Berglund L, Nyberg F. Doping among high school students in Uppsala, Sweden: a presentation of the attitudes, distribution, side effects, and extent of use.  Scan J Soc Med. 1998;  26 71-74
• 9 Laure P. Doping in amateur adult athletes aged 15 or over. A profile of users in the Lorraine region (eastern France).  J Perf Enhanc Drugs. 1998;  2 16-21
• 10 Laure P. Epidemiology of doping.  Presse Med. 2000;  29 1365-1372
• 11 Laure P, Lecerf T, Le Scanff C. Do motives of drug consumption depend on the number of substances used by adolescents.  Arch Pediatr. 2001;  8 16-24
• 12 Laure P, Lecerf T. Doping in sport: a health education-based intervention among young athletes.  Arch Pediatr. 1999;  8 849-854
• 13 Measham F, Newcombe R, Parker H. The normalization of recreational drug use amongst young people in north-west England.  Br J Sociol. 1994;  45 287-312
• 14 Melia P, Pipe A, Greenberg L. The use of anabolic-androgenic steroids by canadian students.  Clin J Sport Med. 1996;  6 9-14
• 15 Morrison C L. Cocaine misuse in anabolic steroid users.  J Perf Enhanc Drugs. 1996;  1 10-15
• 16 Nilsson S. Androgenic anabolic steroid use among male adolescents in Falkenberg.  Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 1995;  1 9-11
• 17 Nilsson S, Baigi A, Marklund B, Fridlund B. The prevalence of the use of androgenic anabolic steroids by adolescents in a county of Sweden.  Eur J Public Health. 2001;  2 195-197
• 18 Observatoire Géopolitique des Drogues/Geopolitical Observatory of Drugs .World geopolitics of drugs 1997 - 1998. Annual Report. Paris: OGD 1998: 27-34
• 19 Office Français des Drogues et Toxicomanies .Drugs and Dependence: Indicators and Trends. Paris: OFDT 2002: 29-31
• 20 Pate R R, Trost S G, Levin S, Dowda M. Sports participation and health-related behaviors among US youth.  Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;  9 904-911
• 21 Pillard F, Grosclaude P, Navarro F, Godeau E, Rivière D. Epidemiologic survey of doping in schools of the French Midi-Pyrenees region.  Sci Sports. 2002;  17 8-16
• 22 Tanner S M, Miller D W, Alongi C. Anabolic steroid use by adolescents: prevalence, motives, and knowledge of risks.  Clin J Sport Med. 1995;  2 108-115
• 23 Turblin P, Grosclaude P, Navarro F, Rivière D, Garrigues M. Epidemiologic survey of doping in schools of the French Midi-Pyrenees region.  Sci Sports. 1995;  10 87-94
• 24 Whitehead R, Chillag S, Elliott D. Anabolic steroid use among adolescents in a rural state.  J Fam Pract. 1992;  4 401-405
• 25 Williamson D. Anabolic steroid use among students at a British college of technology.  Br J Sports Med. 1993;  3 200-201
• 26 Zuckerman M. Theoretical formulations. In: Sensory deprivation: fifteen years of research. Zubek JP (ed), New-York: Appleton-Century-Crofts 1969: 85-125