Preventing and treating the adverse health conditions of androgenic-anabolic steroids: An online survey with 883 users in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The use of use of androgenic-anabolic steroids (AAS) is associated with an increased risk of several health conditions. Health-related behaviours to prevent and treat these conditions include the use of needle exchange services, having blood tests to monitor one's health and seeking information and support from health professionals and other sources. This study investigates the prevalence of adverse health conditions and health behaviours in a cohort of AAS users from the United Kingdom taking part in an online survey, as well as behavioural factors impacting the likelihood of reporting a health condition in the last 12 months. The sample was composed of 883 adults (72.1 % males, 27.9 % females; Med age = 26, min = 16, max = 65). The most common health problems were dermatological (68.1 %) and neuropsychiatric (63.1 %) conditions. Although the majority of participants monitored their health with blood tests (86.4 %) and sought a General Practitioner (GP) to treat health problems (55.0 %), only a minority of LGBTQIA+ males sought a GP for information (12.8 %) or to treat health conditions (18.7 %). Participants who sought a GP for information about AAS were 74 % less likely to report a health condition in the last 12 months (OR = 0.26, 95 % CI 0.18 to 0.40, p < 0.001). These findings can be used to support research and interventions aiming to improve the access of AAS users to the health system by identifying health conditions and health-related behaviours adopted by subpopulations of AAS users.