The adolescents training and learning to avoid steroids program - Preventing drug use and promoting health behaviors

Background: Use of alcohol and other illicit drugs by adolescent male athle tes is a significant problem. Participation in sports may encourage use of drugs that enhance athletic performance, especially anabolic steroids (AS). Because, to our knowledge, no other intervention has successfully altered substance abuse by athletes, we developed and assessed the efficacy of a te am-centered, sex-specific education program designed to reduce adolescent a thletes' intentions to use and use of AS and alcohol and other illicit drug s. Methods: We studied 31 high school football teams that comprised 3207 athle tes in 3 successive annual cohorts (1994-1996). The intervention included i nteractive classroom and exercise training sessions given by peer educators and facilitated by coaches and strength trainers. Program content included discussion of sports nutrition, exercise alternatives to AS and sport supp lements, and the effects of substance abuse in sports, drug refusal role-pl aying, and the creation of health promotion messages. Questionnaires assess ing AS, the use of sport supplements and alcohol and other illicit drugs, a nd potential risk and protective factors were administered before and after the intervention (before and after the football season) and up to 1 year a fter the program. Results: At season's end, intentions to use (P<.05) and actual AS use (P<.0 4) were significantly lower among students who participated in the study. A lthough AS reduction did not achieve significance at 1 year (P<.08), intent ions to use AS remained lower (P = .02), Illicit drug use (marijuana, amphe tamines, and narcotics) was reduced at 1 year, whether alcohol was included (P = .04) or excluded (P = .02) from the index. Other long-term effects in cluded fewer students reporting drinking and driving (P = .004), less sport supplement use (P = .009), and improved nutrition behaviors (P<.02), Conclusion: Use of alcohol and other illicit drugs and associated harmful a ctivities can be prevented with a sex-specific, team-centered education. Sc hool athletic teams provide an optimal environment in which to provide drug prevention and health promotion education.