Prevalence of anabolic steroid use by male and female adolescents

Abstract

This study was performed to determine the prevalence of anabolic steroid use among male and female high school students. A total of 1,010 questionnaires were distributed in five high schools in a relatively affluent school district (Group I, 510 surveys with a 92.4% response rate) and five high schools in a relatively less affluent school district (Group II, 500 surveys with an 86.0% response rate). Three percent of all high school students reported using anabolic steroids: 5.0% of males and 1.4% of females. Among Group I students, 5.9% of all athletes reported using anabolic steroids, whereas only 1.5% of all Group II athletes admitted using them. A 10.2% usage of anabolic steroids among Group I male athletes was observed, but only 2.8% of Group II male athletes reported their use. The median age for anabolic steroid consumption was 17 yr. The primary source of anabolic steroids was the black market (85.2%), while physicians directly supplied anabolic steroids to only 7.4% of the adolescents. It appears that within the high school adolescent population, Group I male athletes are the primary consumers of these drugs, with a reported 10.2% prevalence.