ABSTRACT

Background: The trend of unsupervised illicit use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDS) is alarmingly increasing among the athletes and bodybuilders especially among youngsters globally. This is posing a serious threat to the health of the young generation and unfairness in the field of sports especially in the circumstances where this issue has remained unexplored in many of the developing countries. Objectives: 1. To assess prevalence and determinants for using performance enhancing drugs. 2. To assess the level of awareness among athletes regarding health hazards arising from the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Material and Methods: Setting: Gyms and fitness centers of Hyderabad Sindh, Pakistan. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study Duration: March 2019 to August 2019. Sample size & Sampling Technique: The 270 male athletes visiting the gyms selected through convenience sampling. Data collection & analysis: Data collected on performed questionnaire &analyzed in SPSS version 22.0 by computing proportions, means ±s.d Results: Among 1365 athletes, prevalence of taking PEDs was 34.50%; the prevalence of unsupervised PED use was 68.78%. Social media/internet (29.66%) and television commercials (28.90%) were the most inspiring for taking PEDS. Testosterone products were used by 32.32% of participants. The 44.87% of participants obtained PEDs from local fitness stores. The 49.04% of participants were unaware about health hazards arising from PEDs. Conclusion: The high prevalence of unsupervised PEDs intake was observed among athletes in Hyderabad, Pakistan. This warrants an urgent need for public health awareness sessions at gyms. Keywords: Performance-enhancing drugs, Athletes, Unsupervised, Gyms, Awareness
Publication date: 01/08/21

https://ijbpas.com/pdf/2021/August/MS_IJBPAS_2021_5571.pdf

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https://doi.org/10.31032/IJBPAS/2021/10.8.5571