Abstract

Case Series

Prevalence of performance-enhancing drug use among gym members in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: A cross-sectional survey

Rawan Eskandarani*, Abdulaziz Alhamad and Saad Almodameg

Published: 27 December, 2022 | Volume 7 - Issue 4 | Pages: 039-043

Context: Illicit and performance-enhancing drug (PED) use is prevalent among athletes.
Aims: We examine the prevalence of PED use among amateur athletes, identify the common characteristics and associated risk factors for illicit PED use and measure the perception and awareness among gym members regarding the safety and effects of illicit drug use.
Settings and design: This cross-sectional study was conducted among adult male and female gym center attendees in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Methods and materials: Self-administered Arabic and English questionnaires were used for data collection. 
Statistical analysis used: SPSS version 26 was used to perform t- and chi-square tests.
Results: This study included 379 participants, of whom 59.6% were male, 52.8% were between 26 and 35 years of age, and a majority of the participants had normal (47.5%) or overweight (40.9%) body mass index. Our study revealed a high prevalence (48.5%) of PED use among gym athletes in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the true prevalence might have been higher due to the possibility of underreporting by some participants because of the sensitivity of the subject. Protein powder was the most commonly used type of PED. Of all the participants, 22.3% reported anabolic androgenic steroid use. Side effects of PEDs were observed in 19% of the study participants.
Conclusion: The results of this study should encourage public health researchers and health advocates to design and implement behavioral interventions to educate the public on the benefits, risks, and contraindications of dietary supplements used by athletes to enhance their body performance.
Key messages
•    Performance-enhancing drug (PED) use is prevalent among both professional and amateur athletes.
•    Gym athletes in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, report increasing PED use.
•    Side effects and negative health impacts are associated with illicit PED use.
•    Misinformation on the risks and benefits of PEDs is a major public health concern.
•    More efforts should be implemented in public awareness about the risk of using PED targeting younger populations.

Read Full Article HTML DOI: 10.29328/journal.jsmt.1001062 Cite this Article Read Full Article PDF

Keywords:

Dietary supplements; Body performance; Performance-enhancing drugs; Athletes; Exercise; Supplements

References

  1. Reardon CL, Creado S. Drug abuse in athletes. Subst Abuse Rehabil. 2014 Aug 14;5:95-105. doi: 10.2147/SAR.S53784. PMID: 25187752; PMCID: PMC4140700.
  2. Baron DA, Martin DM, Abol Magd S. Doping in sports and its spread to at-risk populations: an international review. World Psychiatry. 2007 Jun;6(2):118-23. PMID: 18235871; PMCID: PMC2219897.
  3. World Anti-Doping Agency. ADAMS. 2021. https://www.wada-ama.org/en/what-we-do/adams?gclid=CjwKCAjwssD0BRBIEiwA-JP5rMV6CzRwywYPTZ07S79rK2yYznT5VwcLCZoRKTtTWIbwnS2a2CKushoC7GcQAvD_BwE
  4. Momaya A, Fawal M, Estes R. Performance-enhancing substances in sports: a review of the literature. Sports Med. 2015 Apr;45(4):517-31. doi: 10.1007/s40279-015-0308-9. PMID: 25663250.
  5. AlRuthia Y, Balkhi B, Alrasheed M, Altuwaijri A, Alarifi M, Alzahrani H, Mansy W. Use of dietary and performance-enhancing supplements among male fitness center members in Riyadh: A cross-sectional study. PLoS One. 2018 Jun 21;13(6):e0199289. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199289. PMID: 29928034; PMCID: PMC6013215.
  6. Al OM, Elshatarat RA. Influence of knowledge and beliefs on consumption of performance enhancing agents in north-western Saudi Arabia. Ann Saudi Med. 2017 Jul-Aug;37(4):317-325. doi: 10.5144/0256-4947.2017.317. PMID: 28761032; PMCID: PMC6150593.
  7. Pope HG Jr, Wood RI, Rogol A, Nyberg F, Bowers L, Bhasin S. Adverse health consequences of performance-enhancing drugs: an Endocrine Society scientific statement. Endocr Rev. 2014 Jun;35(3):341-75. doi: 10.1210/er.2013-1058. Epub 2013 Dec 17. PMID: 24423981; PMCID: PMC4026349.
  8. Owens DJ, Tang JC, Bradley WJ, Sparks AS, Fraser WD, Morton JP, Close GL. Efficacy of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplements for Elite Athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2017 Feb;49(2):349-356. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001105. PMID: 27741217.
  9. Al Ghobain M. The use of performance-enhancing substances (doping) by athletes in Saudi Arabia. J Family Community Med. 2017 Sep-Dec;24(3):151-155. doi: 10.4103/jfcm.JFCM_122_16. PMID: 28932159; PMCID: PMC5596627.
  10. Al Bishi KA, Afify A. Prevalence and awareness of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) among gymnasts in the western province of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electron Physician. 2017 Dec 25;9(12):6050-6057. doi: 10.19082/6050. PMID: 29560159; PMCID: PMC5843433.
  11. Alshammari SA, AlShowair MA, AlRuhaim A. Use of hormones and nutritional supplements among gyms' attendees in Riyadh. J Family Community Med. 2017 Jan-Apr;24(1):6-12. doi: 10.4103/2230-8229.197175. PMID: 28163569; PMCID: PMC5248439.

Similar Articles

Recently Viewed

Read More

Most Viewed

Read More

Help ?