Sport, and use of anabolic androgenic steroids among Icelandic high school students: a critical test of three perspectives

Abstract

BackgroundThis study investigates the use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) among a national representative sample of high school students in Iceland. We test several hypotheses drawn from three perspectives. The first perspective focuses on the use of AAS as an individual phenomenon motivated by the desire to succeed in sport. The second perspective views the use of AAS as shaped by norms and values embedded in social relationships of formally organized sport. The third perspective suggests that factors outside sport, which have been shown to correlate with the use of other substances, predict the use of AAS.MethodWe use logistic regression and predicted probabilities to analyze data from a national representative survey of 11031 Icelandic high school students.ResultsOur results indicated that the use of AAS is not significantly related to participation in formally organized sports. However, it positively relates to fitness and physical training in informal contexts. We found a relatively strong relationship between the use of AAS and the use of illicit substances and a moderate relationship between AAS use and alcohol and tobacco consumption. We also found a significant negative relationship between AAS use and school integration and school achievement, and a significant positive relationship between AAS use and school anomie. The relation between AAS use and family-related variables was weaker. Finally, we found that the relationship between sport participation, physical exercise, and AAS use varies across levels of anomie and integration.ConclusionOur findings suggest that the use of AAS and especially illegal substances should be considered more as a social and a health problem rather than a sport specific issue. We found that high school students participating in fitness and informal training outside of formally organized sport clubs are the main risk group and should be the target of prevention efforts. However, this should not be done at the expense of general risk factors that affect AAS and other substances used by the general population. Finally, we suggest that prevention efforts should target both groups and individuals.

Adolescent sport participation and alcohol use: The importance of sport organization and the wider social context

“…The study enhances the research in this area in several ways: (1) we take difference in sport contexts into account, arguing that it is critical to distinguish between formal and informal sport in countries where the sport club system is the dominating form of youth sport organization (Thorlindsson and Halldorsson, 2010); (2) we take variables outside sport that may influence the relationship between sport and alcohol consumption into account, paying particular attention to the role of peers and parents as a key variables in adolescent alcohol consumption; (3) we look at interactions as well as linear relationships; (4) we analyse and compare the pattern for males and females separately; (5) we use three different measures of adolescents' alcohol consumption; (6) we add cross-cultural findings to the predominately North American literature on this topic.…”

‘Steroids, it’s so much an identity thing!’ perceptions of steroid use, risk and masculine body image

“…1 Despite differences in the legal framing, since the 1990s steroids have been a concern in public health and popular discourse as well as within 'elite sports' (Kayser, Mauron, and Miah 2007); positioned as 'morally suspect substances' (Keane 2005, 190). In the medical and psychological literature steroids are discussed as particularly 'risky substances' that should not solely be seen as an elite sports issue, but instead be viewed as a more general public health concern (Kayser, Mauron, and Miah 2007;Thorlindsson and Halldorsson 2010;Sagoe et al 2014), especially among young men. Steroid use is often linked to the use of other substances such as cigarettes, alcohol and illicit drugs such as cannabis (Thorlindsson and Halldorsson 2010).…”

“…In the medical and psychological literature steroids are discussed as particularly 'risky substances' that should not solely be seen as an elite sports issue, but instead be viewed as a more general public health concern (Kayser, Mauron, and Miah 2007;Thorlindsson and Halldorsson 2010;Sagoe et al 2014), especially among young men. Steroid use is often linked to the use of other substances such as cigarettes, alcohol and illicit drugs such as cannabis (Thorlindsson and Halldorsson 2010). The tone of the literature likens steroids to cigarettes and marijuana as 'potential "gateway drugs", enticing the unsuspecting young user into the world of hardcore substance abuse and criminality' (Keane 2005, 194).…”

Efeito da natacao associada a diferentes tratamentos sobre o musculo soleo de ratos: estudo histologico e morfometrico

“…Entretanto, um número cada vez maior de atletas tem utilizado suplementos alimentares como a creatina, associados ou não, aos esteroides anabolizantes, para melhor desempenho físico e estético [2][3] . O músculo esquelético possui a capacidade de alterar suas propriedades estruturais e funcionais, como o perfil do fenótipo 4 e/ou o tamanho da área da fibra muscular 5 de acordo com os estímulos que recebe do meio externo.…”

“…Anna Carolina Azambuja Pinho (Bióloga) 1 Jaqueline Del Negri Delise (Bióloga) 1 Mariana Pereira Nunes (Médica) 2 Luana Beatriz MPV Diniz (Médica) 2 Hélio Ribeiro Neto (Graduando Engenharia Mecânica) 3 Hélio Batista dos Santos (Biólogo) 2 Vanessa Neves de Oliveira (Educadora Física) 4 Rosy Iara Maciel de Azambuja Ribeiro (Bióloga)…”