School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Harm Reduct J. 2017 Jul 21;14(1):48. doi: 10.1186/s12954-017-0176-8.
There is good evidence to suggest that performance and image enhancing drug (PIED) use is increasing in Australia and that there is an increase in those using PIEDs who have never used another illicit substance. Peers have always been an important source of information in this group, though the rise of the Internet, and the increased use of Internet forums amongst substance consumers to share harm reduction information, means that PIED users may have access to a large array of views and opinions. The aim of this study was to explore the type of information that PIED users seek and share on these forums.
An online search was conducted to identify online forums that discussed PIED use. Three discussion forums were included in this study: aussiegymjunkies.com, bodybuildingforums.com.au, and brotherhoodofpain.com. The primary source of data for this study was the 'threads' from the online forums. Threads were thematically analysed for overall content, leading to the identification of themes.
One hundred thirty-four threads and 1716 individual posts from 450 unique avatars were included in this analysis. Two themes were identified: (1) personal experiences and advice and (2) referral to services and referral to the scientific literature.
Internet forums are an accessible way for members of the PIED community to seek and share information to reduce the harms associated with PIED use. Forum members show concern for both their own and others' use and, where they lack information, will recommend seeking information from medical professionals. Anecdotal evidence is given high credence though the findings from the scientific literature are used to support opinions. The engagement of health professionals within forums could prove a useful strategy for engaging with this population to provide harm reduction interventions, particularly as forum members are clearly seeking further reliable information, and peers may act as a conduit between users and the health and medical profession.
有充分的证据表明，在澳大利亚，性能和形象增强药物（PIED）的使用正在增加，而且从未使用过其他非法物质的 PIED 使用者也在增加。在这个群体中，同龄人一直是重要的信息来源，尽管互联网的兴起，以及物质消费者在互联网论坛上越来越多地使用这些论坛来分享减少伤害信息，这意味着 PIED 用户可能可以访问大量的观点和意见。这项研究的目的是探讨 PIED 用户在这些论坛上寻求和分享的信息类型。
进行了在线搜索，以确定讨论 PIED 使用的在线论坛。本研究包括三个讨论论坛：aussiegymjunkies.com、bodybuildingforums.com.au 和 brotherhoodofpain.com。这项研究的主要数据来源是在线论坛的“线程”。对线程进行主题分析，以确定主题。
本分析共纳入 450 个唯一头像的 134 个线程和 1716 个单独帖子。确定了两个主题：（1）个人经验和建议；（2）转介服务和转介科学文献。
互联网论坛为 PIED 社区成员提供了一个可访问的方式，以寻求和分享信息，减少与 PIED 使用相关的危害。论坛成员对自己和他人的使用都表示关注，并且在缺乏信息的情况下，他们会建议向医疗专业人员寻求信息。虽然轶事证据受到高度重视，但科学文献的发现被用来支持意见。在论坛中让健康专业人员参与可能是一种与这一人群接触提供减少伤害干预的有用策略，特别是因为论坛成员显然正在寻求更可靠的信息，并且同龄人可能是用户和卫生和医疗专业人员之间的桥梁。
