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Health Education Research Advance Access originally published online on February 13, 2007
Health Education Research 2008 23(1):70-80; doi:10.1093/her/cym004
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Social psychological determinants of the use of performance-enhancing drugs by gym users

C. H. Wiefferink1,*, S. B. Detmar1, B. Coumans2, T. Vogels1 and T. G. W. Paulussen1

1 TNO Quality of Life, Leiden, the Netherlands
2 Anti Doping Authority the Netherlands, Capelle a/d IJssel, The Netherlands

* Correspondence to: C. H. Wiefferink, TNO Quality of Life, PO Box 2215, 2301 CE Leiden, the Netherlands. E-mail: ch.wiefferink{at}pg.tno.nl

The aim of this study is to identify the social psychological determinants of the use of performance-enhancing drugs by gym users who practice bodybuilding, fitness, powerlifting or combat sports. In this questionnaire-based study, 144 respondents answered questions on their actual use and intention to use such drugs and also on their background characteristics and beliefs, such as their attitudes, social influences and self-efficacy. While all social psychological determinants correlated with intention to use these drugs, the most important predictors were personal norms, beliefs about performance outcomes and the perceived behavior of others. Non-users held more restrictive norms about using performance-enhancing drugs, were less optimistic about the performance-enhancing outcomes and believed that fewer significant others used performance-enhancing drugs than users and ex-users. The results of this study indicate that users attribute advantages to performance-enhancing drugs and are inclined to overlook the risks of using them. Preventive interventions should focus on influencing personal norms and social processes.

Received on April 6, 2006; accepted on December 20, 2006


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