Attitudes Of Athletes Research Articles

Rethinking drug use in sport: why the war will never be won

1. Revisiting the Drugs in Sport Debate 2. Setting the Scene 1: Drug Use in Contemporary Society 3. Setting the Scene 2: Critical Drug Use Incidents and Cases in Sport 4. Setting the Scene 3: Scale and Scope of Drug Use in Sport 5. Setting the Scene 4: Player and Athlete Attitudes to Drug Use in Sport 6. Framing the Debate 1: Neo-liberalism and the Cult of Individualism 7. Framing the Debate 2: Social Ecology and the Primacy of Context 8. Framing the Debate 3: Capital Accumulation through Bodily Enhancement 9. Framing the Debate 4: Life-Course Analysis as a Tool for Identifying Gateways to Success 10. The WADA Revolution 1: How it Happened and What it Does 11. The WADA Revolution 2: Sport League Responses 12. The WADA Revolution 3: A Critical Appraisal 13. Re-thinking Drug Control in Sport 1: Why Regulation? 14. Re-thinking Drug Control in Sport 2: Bringing it All Together 15. Rethinking Drug Control in Sport 3: The Case for a New Deal

A questionnaire examining attitudes of collegiate athletes toward doping and pharmacists as information providers.

Doping in sport has become an increasingly prominent topic. The decision to take part in doping practices is multifactorial and often based on many different information sources of varying reliability. This study sought to determine the attitudes of athletes at a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) university toward doping and to discover if pharmacists are perceived to be a valid information source on medication usage for these athletes. CIS athletes competing in at least 1 of 8 sports were asked to complete a questionnaire. Participants were asked various questions regarding their perceptions of doping, medication use, information available to them regarding doping and the role of pharmacists in providing advice on medication usage. In total, 92.7% (307/331) of questionnaires were at least partially completed. Generally, these athletes did not feel pressured to dope or that it was prevalent or necessary. The fear of doping violations largely did not alter the use of medications and supplements. The online doping education program administered by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport was the most used information source (74.5%); pharmacists were used 37.7% of the time. Pharmacists were perceived to be a good source of information about banned substances by 75.6% (223/295) of participants, although only 35% (104/297) consulted a pharmacist each time they purchased a nonprescription medication. It appears that doping is neither prevalent nor worth the risk for these CIS athletes. There also appears to be an opportunity for pharmacists to play a more prominent role in providing advice on medication use to high-performance athletes.

Gait Recognition and Walking Exercise Intensity Estimation

Cardiovascular patients consult doctors for advice regarding regular exercise, whereas obese patients must self-manage their weight. Because a system for permanently monitoring and tracking patients’ exercise intensities and workouts is necessary, a system for recognizing gait and estimating walking exercise intensity was proposed. For gait recognition analysis, αβ filters were used to improve the recognition of athletic attitude. Furthermore, empirical mode decomposition (EMD) was used to filter the noise of patients’ attitude to acquire the Fourier transform energy spectrum. Linear discriminant analysis was then applied to this energy spectrum for training and recognition. When the gait or motion was recognized, the walking exercise intensity was estimated. In addition, this study addressed the correlation between inertia and exercise intensity by using the residual function of the EMD and quadratic approximation to filter the effect of the baseline drift integral of the acceleration sensor. The increase in the determination coefficient of the regression equation from 0.55 to 0.81 proved that the accuracy of the method for estimating walking exercise intensity proposed by Kurihara was improved in this study.

The Effect of Coach Education on Reporting of Concussions Among High School Athletes After Passage of a Concussion Law

Background: Increasing attention has been paid to concussions and especially sports-related concussions in youth. To prevent an inappropriate return to play while symptomatic, nearly all states have now passed legislation on youth sports-related concussions. Purpose: To determine (1) the incidence of sports-related concussions in high school athletes using a unique system to collect reports on concussions, (2) the proportion of athletes with concussions who play with concussive symptoms, and (3) the effect of the type and modality of coach education on the likelihood of athletes reporting symptoms to the coach or playing with concussive symptoms. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: This study was conducted with high school football and girls’ soccer athletes playing in fall 2012 and their coaches and parents in 20 urban or rural high schools in Washington State. The main outcome was the incidence of concussions per 1000 athlete-exposures (AEs), the proportion of concussed athletes who played with concussive symptoms, and the association of coach concussion education with coach awareness of athletes with concussive symptoms. Results: Among the 778 athletes, the rate of concussions was 3.6 per 1000 AEs and was identical for the 2 sports studied. The cumulative concussion incidence over the course of the season was similar in girls’ soccer (11.1%) and football (10.4%). Sixty-nine percent of concussed athletes reported playing with symptoms, and 40% reported that their coach was not aware of their concussion. Most measures of coach concussion education were not associated with coach awareness of concussions in their athletes, although the modalities of a video and quiz were associated with a lower likelihood of coach awareness. Conclusion: More objective and accurate methods are needed to identify concussions. Changes in athlete attitudes on reporting concussive symptoms will likely not be accomplished through legislation alone.

Media's influence on the drive for muscularity in undergraduates

Although research has found that body ideals presented by the media influence women's body dissatisfaction, less is known about media's influence on men's body satisfaction. An online survey examining media use, the drive for muscularity, and internalization of appearance and body shape ideals was given to a sample of 311 participants comprised of both men and women. Results indicated (a) the more time men and women reported watching television, the higher their reported drive for muscularity (b) total hours of viewing sports-related, image-focused, and entertainment television related to increased drive for muscularity in women (c) drive for muscularity in men related to watching image-focused television and reading men's health magazines, and (d) internalization of athletic attitudes towards appearance mediated the relationship between total television watched and drive for muscularity in both genders. Clinicians may wish to utilize these findings when treating men and women suffering from drive for muscularity and body dysmorphia.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Concussion-Reporting Behaviors Among High School Athletes: A Preliminary Study

Many athletes continue to participate in practices and games while experiencing concussion-related symptoms, potentially predisposing them to subsequent and more complicated brain injuries. Limited evidence exists about factors that may influence concussion-reporting behaviors. To examine the influence of knowledge and attitude on concussion-reporting behaviors in a sample of high school athletes. Cross-sectional study. Participants completed a validated survey instrument via mail. A total of 167 high school athletes (97 males, 55 females, 5 sex not indicated; age = 15.7 ± 1.4 years) participating in football, soccer, lacrosse, or cheerleading. Athlete knowledge and attitude scores served as separate predictor variables. We examined the proportion of athletes who reported continuing to participate in games and practices while symptomatic from possible concussion and the self-reported proportion of recalled concussion and bell-ringer events disclosed after possible concussive injury. Only 40% of concussion events and 13% of bell-ringer recalled events in the sample were disclosed after possible concussive injury. Increased athlete knowledge of concussion topics (increase of 1 standard deviation = 2.8 points) was associated with increased reporting prevalence of concussion and bell-ringer events occurring in practice (prevalence ratio [PR] = 2.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.60, 3.21) and the reporting prevalence of bell-ringer-only events overall (PR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.38, 2.54). Athlete attitude scores (increase of 1 standard deviation = 11.5 points) were associated with decreases in the proportion of athletes stating they participated in games (PR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.66, 0.82) and practices (PR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.59, 0.77) while symptomatic from concussions. Most recalled concussion events in our study were not reported to a supervising adult. Clinicians should be aware that knowledge and attitude influence concussion reporting. Clinicians and administrators should make concussion education a priority and encourage an optimal reporting environment to better manage and prevent concussive injuries in young athletes.

The Operationalization of the Mental Preparation for Sportive Performance Optimization in Track & Field

The operationalization of the athletes mental training and the focus of its objectives to achieve the optimum motivation, can lead to the maximization of the performance in the objective competition, by adjusting and self-adjusting the mental states of the athlete and the stimulation of motivational factors.The aim of this research was the design, operationalization and experiment of a psychological training strategy in order to achieve the performance planned at the objective competition, based on theoretical premises presented in the research substantiation. The action taken in order to optimize the motivational level had a favorable influence upon the athlete's attitude.

The AACR 2013 in Washington D.C.

The AACR 2013 in Washington D.C.

Some views of elite athletes on cooperation with the media and the media's influence on sports and private lives

Background: Today, sport represents an element of the quality of life as it is often an indicator of a country's civilisational, societal and economic development. The public is mostly interested in elite sport which has effects for both society as well the lives of individuals as the public is not only interested in sports achievements but also in athlete's private lives. The border between the public and private is difficult to establish. The interlinked work of elite athletes and the media often results in misunderstandings as the media intrudes on the private lives of athletes, which in turn impacts both the private and professional lives of athletes. Objective: The study's main purpose was to identify the attitude of elite athletes to the media and the influence of the media on the private and professional lives of athletes. The study also evaluated the qualities of an ideal journalist in the eyes of athletes. Methods: Differences between more and less experienced elite athletes were studied on a sample of 67 Slovenian athletes from team sports. The data were collected through a questionnaire. The findings were further interpreted in line with the opinions of ten leading athletes from individual sports, which were collected through a semi-structured interview. Results: Differences between groups of more and less experienced athletes were detected in answers to the question, When do athletes decide to cooperate with the media? and Have you already been offended by the media?. Elite athletes like to cooperate with the media and usually give information away freely. Similarly, journalists largely understand that athletes desire peace and quiet prior to a competition. Athletes perceive precision and verification of information as the most important qualities of journalists, while they consider some personal qualities and materialistic characteristics as less important. Conclusions: The study's results show that in the future athletes would like journalists to write articles that offend them less, regardless of whether the published information is about their sports achievements or private lives.

Attitudes Toward and Preferences for Male and Female Personal Trainers

Previous research has considered the perceptions of athletes towards gender of coach and strength and conditioning coach. However, to date there appears little research considering the perceptions of clients towards gender of personal trainer. The purpose of this study was to investigate male and females perceptions of same- or opposite-gender personal trainers. Four hundred and two (male = 201, female = 201) undergraduate University student participants completed an adapted version of the Attitudes of Athletes toward Male versus Female Coaches Questionnaire (AAMFC-Q; 23). A 2 x 2 multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that neither males nor females showed any preference for gender of hypothetical personal trainer (p > 0.05) although both males and females reported that a personal trainer of the opposite gender might make it harder to concentrate (p < 0.05). Previous research has reported a preference for male coaches/strength and conditioning coaches from both male and female athletes. However, this study suggests that there is no such gender bias towards personal trainers in this population.

Use of Supplements by Young Elite Japanese Athletes Participating in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore

To investigate the prevalence of supplement use among young elite Japanese athletes. Survey study. 2010 Youth Olympic Games, Singapore. Data were collected from individual interviews during medical evaluations of 75 athletes selected for the Japanese national team. Main outcome measures included the use of supplements, products used, frequency of use, purpose of use, and relationships between supplement use and athlete attitudes toward a balanced diet. All 75 athletes agreed to participate in this study, and individual interviews by pharmacists made it possible to collect complete answers from all athletes. Of these athletes, 47 (62.7%) used 1 or more supplement products (average number of products used, 1.1 ± 1.3). The most popular supplement was amino acids, which were used by 33 athletes (44.0%). Of the supplements used, 28 (32.6%) were taken every day, whereas 28 (32.6%) were used only on special occasions. Moreover, 34 of the supplement products (39.5%) were taken to enhance recovery from fatigue, whereas 19 (22.1%) were used to improve athletic performance. Statistical analysis suggested that there was no significant relationship between supplement use and attitudes toward a balanced diet. The results revealed widespread supplement use among young elite athletes in the Japanese national team for the Singapore Youth Olympic Games in 2010. Moreover, these athletes apparently used supplements without considering the effects of their normal diets.

Identifying the Factors Affecting Entrepreneurial Attitude of Athlete & Non-athlete University Students

Considering entrepreneurship as a state of mind, we have to admit that nowadays, apart from business and economy, any person can think and act in an entrepreneurial manner. Hence, not only the “entrepreneurship enhancing” policies should not be confined to higher education levels, but also they have to be included in elementary and non-athlete programs. In this study, the level of entrepreneurial attitude, and the effect of some demographic variables on it were investigated among a group of 406 university students in Tehran. The main tool used in this study was the translated Athyde’s ATE questionnaire (attitude towards entrepreneurial business initialization) which was tested for reliability by a pretest and computation of Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient for the main study and all its components. The results showed that the level of entrepreneurial attitude was above average among athlete students, in all of the investigated aspects and components. They also showed that variables such as gender, having a self-employed father, employment status of mother, and the type of university (athlete &non-athlete) have no significant impact on the level of entrepreneurial attitude in students.

The attitudes and perceptions of adolescent track and field athletes toward PED use

The practice of enhancing athletic performance through the use of extraneous artificial means is as old as competitive sport itself. Very little research assessing the attitudes of adolescent strength/power athletes concerning ergogenic aids exists. As national anti-doping organizations (NADOs) and even state and local athletic associations adopt preventative measures to complement detection-based deterrence methods, understanding adolescent athlete attitudes towards drugs in sport will take on a new importance. This study was conducted to measure athlete attitudes in the sport of track and field (specifically throwers) toward performance enhancing drug (PED) use and drug testing using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework. The sample was comprised of 46 males (mean age=15.9, SD=2.2 years) and 52 females (mean age=15.8, SD=1.9 years). A 4-step hierarchical regression was employed to determine how study variables predicted intent to use PEDs. Gender did not predict significant variance in intent (R2=.04; p=.06), but the theory of planned behavior constructs (R2 change=.46; p<.001), attitude strength and moral conviction (R2 change=.06; p<.05), and the interaction of attitude with moral conviction (R2 change=.04; p<.01) did predict significant variance in intent for PED use. In the final model, significant predictors of intent included attitude, injunctive norms, attitude strength (centrality), moral conviction, and the attitude by moral conviction interaction. The conclusions of the present study show that attitude strength and moral conviction are important considerations in understanding PED use.

Towards an implicit association test (IAT) for measuring doping attitudes in sports. Data-based recommendations developed from two recently published tests

Objectives Today, the doping attitudes of athletes can either be measured by asking athletes directly or with the help of indirect attitude measurement procedures as for example the implicit association test (IAT). Using indirect measures may be helpful for example when psychological effects of doping prevention programs shall be evaluated. In the present study we have analyzed and compared measurement properties of two recently published IATs. Design The IATs “doping substance vs. tea blend” and “doping substance vs. legal nutritional supplement” were presented to two randomly assigned independent samples of 102 athletes (44 male, 58 female; mean age 23.6 years) from different sports. Both IATs were complemented by a control IAT “word vs. non-word”. Methods In order to test central measurement properties of both IATs, distributions of measured values, correlations with the control IAT, reliability analyses, and analyses of error rates were performed. Results Results pointed to a rather negative doping attitude in most athletes. Especially the fact that in the “doping vs. supplement” IAT error rates (12%) and adaptational learning effects across test blocks were substantial ( η 2 = .22), indicating that participants had difficulties correctly assigning the word stimuli to the respective category, we see slight advantages for the “doping vs. tea” IAT (e.g. satisfactory internal scale consistency Cronbach’s- α = .78 among athletes reporting to be regularly involved in competitions). Conclusion The less satisfactory measurement properties of the “doping vs. supplement” IAT can possibly be explained by the fact that the boundaries between (legal) supplements and (illegal) doping substances have been shifted from time to time so that athletes were not sure whether substances were legal or not.

Player and athlete attitudes to drugs in Australian sport: implications for policy development

This article reports on 12 case histories with a view to 1) uncovering the attitudes of players and athletes to drugs in sport, and 2) exploring the implications of these attitudes for the formulation of effective anti-doping policy. The theoretical approach of the research was informed by Zinberg's (1984) model which assumes that the relationship between the drug, individual characteristics and context are pivotal to choices about drug use. A theoretical sampling frame was derived using two key discriminators based on their empirical prevalence as important variables: i) the level of a sport's commercial involvement, and ii) a sport's masculine values as determined by aggressiveness, contact and propensity for risk-taking. The additional ‘discovered’ sample criterion ‘performance level’ was subsequently included based on emergent data. A narrative-based case-history was utilized as the analytical method employing Gee's (1986) coding approach. Results suggested that attitudes are contingent upon first, the legality of the substance, second, its performance impact, and finally, its social impact. If a substance is not illegal, provides performance support, expedites recovery, or makes the user feel better, then it is considered legitimate. Unlike previous analysis, these results demonstrate that substance use in sport is neither a matter of linear and logical decision-making nor one of fundamental morality for players and athletes. The results suggest that drug-management policies which are underpinned by punitive models of moral certitude and deterrence do not match with prevailing attitudes, and are therefore unlikely to be successful in eradicating drug use from sport in the future.

Contextual influences and athlete attitudes to drugs in sport

This article reports on 11 narrative-based case histories which sought to: (1) uncover the attitudes of players and athletes to drugs in sport, and (2) explore contextual factors influencing the formation of those attitudes as informed by social ecology theory. Overall, participants viewed the use of banned performance-enhancing substances as cheating, ‘hard’ non-performance-enhancing recreational or illicit substances as unwise, legal non-performance-enhancing substances as acceptable, and legal performance-enhancing substances as essential. In short, attitudes were sometimes quite libertarian, and contingent upon first, the legality of the substance, and second, its performance impact. Results also indicated that athletes’ attitudes about drugs were fundamentally shaped by sport's culture. Other significant factors included its commercial scale, closely identifiable others, early experiences and critical incidents of players and athletes, and their level of performance.

Boosting in athletes with high-level spinal cord injury: knowledge, incidence and attitudes of athletes in paralympic sport

Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is unique to individuals with spinal injuries (SCI) at T6 or above and can be voluntarily induced. Although AD improves wheelchair racing performance in some athletes, it also elicits exaggerated blood pressure, which could be dangerous. The International Paralympic Committee considers AD doping and banned its use. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to evaluate AD knowledge, incidence and attitudes (KIA) of Paralympians with SCI. Methods. An existing questionnaire was modified to include questions of AD KIA, validated by three experts and piloted with a small sample. It was administered on-line, mailed to members of a scientific network and distributed during the Beijing Paralympic Games. Fisher Exact test was used to evaluate differences across gender, injury and education. Results. Of 99 participants, 54.5% had previously heard of AD while 39.4% were unaware; 16.7%, all males, had used AD to enhance performance. Participants reported that AD was (1) useful for middle (78.6%) and long distance (71.4%), marathon (64.3%) and wheelchair rugby (64.3%); (2) somewhat dangerous (48.9%), dangerous (21.3%) or very dangerous (25.5%) to health. Results were not influenced by age, injury level or injury duration. Conclusions. Findings indicate the need for educational programmes directed towards enhancing the AD knowledge of rehabilitation professionals, coaches and trainers working with SCI individuals.

Division I Athletes' Attitudes Toward and Preferences for Male and Female Strength and Conditioning Coaches

The purpose of this study was to examine whether male and female Division I team sport athletes prefer same-sex or opposite-sex strength and conditioning coaches. Participants included 476 (male = 275, female = 201) National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I collegiate football, soccer, and volleyball athletes; the men were from football programs and the women were from soccer and volleyball programs. The Attitudes of Athletes toward Male versus Female Coaches Questionnaire was used to assess the attitudes and feelings of male and female athletes toward the gender of their strength coach (29). The results of a 2 x 2 multivariate analysis of variance (athlete gender x coach gender) revealed that the male athletes (all football players) were less comfortable with a female strength coach in all regards and preferred to have a male strength coach (p < 0.05). Female athletes did not have a gender preference, nor did they have any negative attitudes toward a strength coach. The women would be productive training with any qualified strength coach, whereas the men would prefer working with a male strength coach no matter how qualified the female coach might be. As a result of this study, one suggestion is for male athletes to be exposed to female strength coaches much earlier in their sport experience. This might help reduce gender bias later in their athletic careers.

Post-Exercise Recovery Refueling Knowledge, Behavior and Attitudes of Athletes

Post-Exercise Recovery Refueling Knowledge, Behavior and Attitudes of Athletes

Attitudes and doping: a structural equation analysis of the relationship between athletes' attitudes, sport orientation and doping behaviour

BackgroundFor effective deterrence methods, individual, systemic and situational factors that make an athlete or athlete group more susceptible to doping than others should be fully investigated. Traditional behavioural models assume that the behaviour in question is the ultimate end. However, growing evidence suggests that in doping situations, the doping behaviour is not the end but a means to an end, which is gaining competitive advantage. Therefore, models of doping should include and anti-doping policies should consider attitudes or orientations toward the specific target end, in addition to the attitude toward the 'tool' itself.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to empirically test doping related dispositions and attitudes of competitive athletes with the view of informing anti-doping policy developments and deterrence methods. To this end, the paper focused on the individual element of the drug availability – athlete's personality – situation triangle.MethodsData were collected by questionnaires containing a battery of psychological tests among competitive US male college athletes (n = 199). Outcome measures included sport orientation (win and goal orientation and competitiveness), doping attitude, beliefs and self-reported past or current use of doping. A structural equation model was developed based on the strength of relationships between these outcome measures.ResultsWhilst the doping model showed satisfactory fit, the results suggested that athletes' win and goal orientation and competitiveness do not play a statistically significant role in doping behaviour, but win orientation has an effect on doping attitude. The SEM analysis provided empirical evidence that sport orientation and doping behaviour is not directly related.ConclusionThe considerable proportion of doping behaviour unexplained by the model suggests that other factors play an influential role in athletes' decisions regarding prohibited methods. Future research, followed by policy development, should incorporate these factors to capture the complexity of the doping phenomenon and to identify points for effective anti-doping interventions. Sport governing bodies and anti-doping organisations need to recognise that using performance enhancements may be more of a rational, outcome optimizing behaviour than deviance and consider offering acceptable alternative performance-enhancing methods to doping.