Middle School Studentsʼ Attitudes and Use of Anabolic Steroids

Little is known about the nature and extent of the problems related to anabolic steroid use among young adolescents. A survey was administered to 265 middle school students (M age 13.3 ± 0.8 yrs) to determine their attitudes toward and use of anabolic steroids. In all, 5.3% of the boys and 1.5% of the girls reported anabolic steroid use. Among nonusers, 7% said they had been offered the drugs, 24% knew where to obtain them, 10% were uncertain about future use, and 3% stated they might use them. Approximately 20% of nonusers were uninformed about the side effects of anabolic steroids, and 11% believed they were not harmful if used carefully. Although preliminary, these results suggest the problem of anabolic steroid use extends to very young adolescents and that there is a need to implement educational interventions for this population.