ADOLESCENT ATHLETES AND THE DEMAND AND SUPPLY OF DRUGS TO IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE

• Main Authors: Patrick Laure, Caroline Binsinger
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Uludag 2005-09-01
• Series: Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
• Subjects: Doping in sport; adolescents; enticement; black market
• Online Access: http://www.jssm.org/vol4/n3/8/v4n3-8text.php

The aim of this study was to gather information into the principal methods and means employed to supply adolescents with doping agents and others substances used to improve their sporting performance. We conducted a nation wide study in France among adolescent athletes, using a self-completed questionnaire. Exploitable questionnaires (n = 6402) were returned, corresponding to 48.9% for the girls and 51.1% for the boys, both aged on average from 16.1 ± 2.2 years. These adolescents practise on average 10.0 ± 5.2 hours of sport per week. 21.9% participate on a national or international competition level. Of our respondents, 4.0% (95% confidence interval: 3.5% - 4.5%) say they have been enticed into using products which are prohibited for athletes. 10.3% of the adolescents say that they have received substances to improve their performance at least once from an average of two different people. It was mostly a friend, their parents and the family doctor. On average, in 33.2% of the cases, the adolescent received the product without asking for it, and in nearly half the cases (46.6%), the adolescent paid for the product. We feel that it is necessary to better understand the ways in which this black market functions: for example; the initial sources of the products sold, the number and the 'profiles' of the dealers, the general organisation of the market and the sums of money involved