Anabolic steroid use among adolescents in Nebraska schools.

Abstract

The extent of anabolic steroid use among adolescent sports participants and nonparticipants in Nebraska schools was studied. The Nebraska Secondary School Survey administered in 1991 contained 19 new items designed to determine rates of use of anabolic steroids and to measure participation in school sports. Schools participating in the survey are part of the Toward a Drug Free Nebraska training project; when the 1991 survey was conducted, training did not address ergogenic drug use. The survey was administered on a voluntary and confidential basis to Nebraska students in grades 7 through 12. A total of 4722 students in 62 secondary schools were surveyed; 3183 (67.4%) identified themselves as participants in school-sponsored sports. Of all the respondents, 117 (2.5%) reported having used anabolic steroids in the preceding 30 days. Some 4.5% of all the male respondents were steroid users, versus 0.8% of all the females. Of the students who reported using anabolic steroids, 72.6% were sports participants. Steroid users, whether they participated in sports or not, were more likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs than were nonusers of steroids. Among sports participants and nonparticipants, anabolic steroid users were more likely than nonusers to report acting violently. Nebraska students (grades 7 through 12) who participated in school-sponsored sports were more likely than non-participants to use anabolic steroids. Steroid-using athletes were more likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs than athletes who did not use steroids.