The Effectiveness of a New School-Based Media Literacy Intervention on Adolescents' Doping Attitudes and Supplements Use (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
The outbreak of coronavirus required adjustment regarding the delivery of interventions. Media literacy interventions are necessary to help people acquire relevant skills to navigate the complexities of media communications, and to encourage health-promoting behaviors. The present study aimed to promote a media literacy intervention regarding performance and appearance enhancement substances use in sports high school students. The COVID-19 contingency allowed us to evaluate whether online sessions can effectively promote greater awareness of media influence, a stronger sense of confidence in persuading others to deal with media messages, and healthier attitudes about PAES use among high school students. The study relied on an “intervention group” comprising 162 students (31.5% female) and a “control group” comprising 158 students (42% female). Data were analyzed through repeated measures of Group X Time MANOVA and ANOVA, demonstrating some degree of efficacy of the media literacy in...
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2014
Reports of high levels of use of protein powders and nutritional supplements among young men is a concern because these substances may act as a gateway for the use of drugs and illegal substances to enhance appearance or sports performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body dissatisfaction, weight change behaviors, supplement use, and attitudes towards doping in sport among an adolescent male sample. Participants were 1148 male adolescents (age range 11-21 years) in Australia who completed a self-report questionnaire that measured weight change behaviors, supplement use, body dissatisfaction (Male Body Attitudes Scale; MBAS) and attitudes towards doping in sport (Performance Enhancing Attitudes Survey; PEAS). There was a positive correlation between MBAS total and PEAS scores (r = .19, p < .001), indicating that the young men who were more dissatisfied with their bodies were more likely to support the use of doping in sport. Young men who were currently attempting weight loss or weight gain, and those currently consuming energy drinks (ηp2 = .01, p < .01) and vitamin/mineral supplements (ηp2 = .01, p < .01) were also significantly more supportive of doping in sport. However, those involved in weight lifting, and using protein powders were not (p > .05). These findings suggest that body dissatisfaction, weight change behaviors, and supplement use are related to more lenient attitudes towards doping in sport among adolescent boys. Future research might examine whether combining educational content for the prevention of body dissatisfaction and the use of drugs in sport may have a greater preventive impact than current programs aimed at young men.
Effectiveness of a school-based doping prevention programme in Spanish adolescents
Journal of Human Sport and Exercise
The purpose of the study is to assess the effectiveness of a school-based programme to improve knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about doping. 540 adolescents (aged 12-13 years old, 50% boys) took part, from eight Spanish schools. Three hundred and thirteen of these were in the experimental group and the rest formed a control group. Six sessions were held, based on international recommendations, during the Physical Education classes, and were assessed with the Questionnaire on the Anti-doping Intervention programme. The principal results showed that the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about doping improved in the experimental group compared to the control group, for the whole of the questionnaire (p<.001, Eta 2 =.03) and specifically for the factors Concept (p<.001, Eta 2 =.004), Utility (p<.01, Eta 2 =.02) and Sport and doping (p<.01, Eta 2 =.01). But there were no benefits observed in the factors Methods and Origin of the behaviour. In conclusion, school-based programmes may be useful for improving knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about doping among adolescents.
The use of substances to improve sports performance is a widespread phenomenon among adolescents. Several anti-doping programs have been developed, mainly based on knowledge-based evidence. The main aim of the present study was to implement an anti-doping intervention in sports high school students, based on psychological framework, such as Socio-Cognitive Theory, through the development of a Serious Game (SG), i.e., a digital learning based on the game. The experimental design included an intervention group (n=167; F=37.7%; Meanage=17.5 years) and a control group (n=112; F=42%; Meanage=17.6). Both of groups completed the same questionnaire in two different occasions (i.e., time 1 and time 2), for measuring doping intention, self-regulatory efficacy to resist social pressure for the use of substances, moral disengagement, and doping knowledge. Data were analyzed through repeated measures of Group X Time ANOVA, demonstrating some degree of efficacy of the intervention, in particular,...
2010
Objectives: The study aimed at extending the general finding from prior research, that adolescents' intentions to use and actual use of doping substances are influenced by a set of beliefs concerning doping use, by also evaluating whether these belief systems influence changes in doping use over time. In addition, the present study also examined the novel hypothesis that adolescents' appraisals of interpersonal encounters in which they are solicited to use doping substances would moderate the relations linking beliefs to doping intentions and doping use. Design and Methods: Nearly 900 adolescents (50.6% males, mean age ¼ 15.6) provided longitudinal data on their attitudes, subjective norms, behavioral control, self-regulatory efficacy, moral disengagement, intentions and past substance use. They also rated the intentions of counterparts who hypothetically solicited them to use substances. Results: The multivariate analysis of the relations among the key variables revealed that belief systems influenced adolescents' doping intentions, accounting for nearly 50% of their variance. Furthermore, doping intentions, in turn, longitudinally influenced and accounted for nearly 75% of the variation in adolescents' doping use. Finally, additional multi-group analyses revealed that the overall effects on adolescents' doping intentions were particularly strong (R 2 ¼ 52) among those who made risky situational appraisals, as compared to those who showed no-risk appraisals (R 2 ¼ .13). Conclusions: The findings of the study were consistent with the hypothesis that adolescents' doping use is regulated by doping-specific belief systems. They also suggest that the relations linking doping-specific beliefs and intentions are enhanced among adolescents who preemptively tend to assign a positive meaning to interpersonal exchanges in which others solicit doping use. Implications for prevention interventions focusing on the processes of social influences are discussed.
Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 2010
This study examined the relative ways in which muscularity and thinness concerns longitudinally influence adolescents' intentions to use doping substances. It was hypothesized that muscularity and thinness exert their effects on doping intentions by promoting endorsement of positive attitudes toward doping use in male and female adolescents and across different levels of sport involvement. To test this hypothesis, nearly 900 high school adolescents provided questionnaire data on two separate occasions during an academic year. On average, boys, as well as boys and girls who practice some sport, had relatively strong concerns about muscularity, whereas girls showed relatively strong thinness concerns. Boys also expressed more positive attitudes about doping than did girls. Structural equation modeling showed that muscularity and thinness have direct effects on adolescents' intentions to engage in doping and that muscularity, but not thinness, partly exerts its effects through the endorsement of positive attitudes toward doping.
Frontiers in Psychology
Although there are few high-profile cases of adolescent athletes being caught doping, up to a third of young athletes may dope. In order to generate a more accurate understanding of why adolescent athletes dope, it is important to validate models that help to explain this behavior. The aims of this study were 3-fold: firstly, to test the Sport Drug Control Model for Adolescent Athletes (SDCM-AA); secondly, to generate athlete profiles that would help quantify the proportion of athletes who are at risk of doping; and thirdly, to create norm values for the Adolescent Sport Doping Inventory (ASDI), which would allow national doping organizations, sporting organizations, and clubs to benchmark the scores of their athletes for key psycho-social variables linked to doping. A total of 2208 adolescent athletes from the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, and the United States completed the ASDI. The data presented an appropriate fit to the SDCM-AA model, in which 54% of the variance in susceptibility to doping was explained in the model, and 44.8% of attitudes toward doping was accounted for. Four distinct clusters of athletes emerged: the Susceptibles (i.e., identified with the benefits of doping, were willing to cheat, and viewed little threat), the Chancers (i.e., identified with the benefits of doping, scored high on willingness to cheat, and were highly influenced by their reference group, but had an average score for threat, self-esteem, and legitimacy), the Pragmatists (i.e., did not engage with any aspects of doping, but were more susceptible than the fair players), and Fair Players (i.e., high levels of sportspersonship, unwilling to cheat, and viewed doping as a threat). The revised SDCM-AA appears a valid model that helps explain the factors associated with doping attitudes and doping susceptibility. Adolescent athletes can be classified into one of four clusters, in relation to doping. Their cluster group could influence the content of the anti-doping education they receive.
European Journal of Pediatrics, 2013
This study examined whether different types of media affect the use of dietary proteins and amino acid supplements, and intent to use anabolic-androgenic steroids. A random sample of 618 boys aged 11-18 years from eight schools in the Flemish part of Belgium completed standardized questionnaires as part of the Media and Adolescent Health Study. The survey measured exposure to sports media, appearance-focused media, fitness media, use of dietary supplements and intent to use anabolic-androgenic steroids. Data were analyzed using logistic regressions and are presented as adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). 8.6% indicated to have used dietary proteins, 3.9% to have used amino acid supplements, and 11.8% would consider using anabolic-androgenic steroids. After adjusting for fitness activity, exposure to fitness media was associated with the use of dietary proteins (OR = 7.24, CI = 2.25 – 23.28) and amino acid supplements (5.16, 1.21 – 21.92; 44.30, 8.25 – 238). Intent to use anabolic-androgenic steroids was associated with exposure to fitness media (2.38, 1.08 – 5.26; 8.07, 2.55 – 25.53) and appearance-focused media (6.02, 1.40 – 25.82; 8.94, 1.78 – 44.98). Sports media did not correlate with the use of dietary supplements and intent to use anabolic-androgenic steroids. Specific types of media are strong predictors of the use of supplements in adolescent boys. This provides an opportunity for intervention and prevention through the selection of fitness media as a communication channel. Health practitioners should also be aware that the contemporary body culture exerts pressure not only on girls but also on boys.
Journal of Health Psychology, 2008
The present study incorporated the behavioral alternative of abstinence into the Theory of Reasoned Action to test whether abstinence contributed to the prediction of intentions to use performance enhancing substances (PES). Adolescent athletes (N = 241) completed a questionnaire about the use of legal and illegal PES. Approximately 2.5 percent of adolescents reported having tried an illegal PES and 17 percent reported having tried a legal PES. Results showed that attitudes and norms associated with abstinence contribute to the prediction of behavioral intentions over and above that of attitudes and norms associated with using both legal and illegal PES.