To identify risk factors associated with anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use among adolescents, computerised and manual literature searches were performed and the resultant local, state, national and international reports of illicit AAS use by adolescents that referenced risk factors were reviewed. Results indicate that adolescent AAS users are significantly more likely to be males and to use other illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Student athletes are also more likely than non-athletes to use AAS, and football players, wrestlers, weightlifters and bodybuilders have significantly higher prevalence rates than students not engaged in these activities. Currently, only a partial profile can be created to characterise the adolescent AAS user. Further research will be needed before associations can be made with a reasonable degree of confidence regarding risk factors such as athletic participation, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and educational level. More importantly, to improve prevention and intervention strategies, a better understanding of the process involved in initiating AAS use is needed, including vulnerability factors, age of initiation and the use of other illicit drugs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.