Alharbi Fares F, Gamaleddin Islam, Alharbi Samar F, Almodayfer Omar, Allohidan Fahad, Alghobain Mohammed, Arafah Asaad, Al-Surimi Khaled
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of the National Guard Health Affairs, College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Medicine, Mental Health Division, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Pharm J. 2019 Feb;27(2):254-263. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2018.11.007. Epub 2018 Nov 22.
Recreational use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) is a growing worldwide public health concern. However, studies assessing the level of awareness and knowledge of its effects on health are fairly limited, especially in developing countries, including Saudi Arabia. This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices among male gym members toward AAS in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) from March to October 2016. Twenty gyms were randomly selected from four different geographical regions (clusters) within Riyadh. In total, 482 participants responded to the self-administered anonymous questionnaire, which covered socio-demographic data, data assessing knowledge, attitude and behavior related to AAS use. The mean (±standard deviation) age of study participants was 27.2 (±6.9) years. Among these, 29.3% of participants reported having used AAS, while the majority (53.5%) reported hearing of AAS use, mostly through friends. Most study participants reported awareness of the effects of AAS on muscle mass, body weight and muscles strength (53.2%, 51.1% and 45.5%, respectively). In contrast, a higher proportion of study participants were unaware of the side-effects of AAS use. A high proportion of study participants (43.2%) reported that they had been offered AAS and 68.7% believed that AAS are easily accessible. Most of the gym users (90.1%) reported never having used any narcotics or psychoactive drugs. Regression analysis revealed that use of anabolic-androgenic steroids is significantly associated with "weight lifting practice" OR [95%CI] = 1.9[1.02 - 3.61], P = 0.044; "using supplementary vitamins, OR [95%CI] = 7.8[4.05 - 15.03], P < 0.0001, knowing anyone using anabolic-androgenic steroids' OR [95%CI] = 7.5[3.78 - 14.10], P < 0.0001, and someone advised Gym users to take anabolic-androgenic steroids" OR [95%CI] = 2.26[1.23 - 4.14], P < 0.008. Our findings suggest that the level of awareness regarding the possible side-effects of AAS is fairly limited. Thus, efforts directed toward educating the public and limiting access to AAS as well as health policy reforms are crucial to reduce future negative implications of AAS use.
合成代谢雄激素类固醇（AAS）的非医疗使用是一个在全球范围内日益引起公众健康关注的问题。然而，评估人们对其健康影响的认识和了解程度的研究相当有限，尤其是在包括沙特阿拉伯在内的发展中国家。这项基于社区的横断面研究旨在评估2016年3月至10月期间利雅得（沙特阿拉伯）男性健身房会员对AAS的知识、态度和行为。从利雅得四个不同地理区域（群组）中随机选择了20家健身房。共有482名参与者回答了自填式匿名问卷，问卷涵盖社会人口统计学数据、评估与AAS使用相关的知识、态度和行为的数据。研究参与者的平均（±标准差）年龄为27.2（±6.9）岁。其中，29.3%的参与者报告曾使用过AAS，而大多数（53.5%）报告听说过AAS的使用情况，大多是通过朋友了解到的。大多数研究参与者报告了解AAS对肌肉量、体重和肌肉力量的影响（分别为53.2%、51.1%和45.5%）。相比之下，较高比例的研究参与者并不了解AAS使用的副作用。很大一部分研究参与者（43.2%）报告有人向他们提供过AAS，68.7%的人认为AAS很容易获得。大多数健身房使用者（90.1%）报告从未使用过任何麻醉药品或精神活性药物。回归分析显示，合成代谢雄激素类固醇的使用与“举重锻炼”显著相关，OR[95%CI]=1.9[1.02 - 3.61]，P = 0.044；“使用补充维生素”，OR[95%CI]=7.8[4.05 - 15.03]，P < 0.0001，“认识使用合成代谢雄激素类固醇的人”，OR[95%CI]=7.5[3.78 - 14.10]，P < 0.0001，以及“有人建议健身房使用者服用合成代谢雄激素类固醇”，OR[95%CI]=2.26[1.23 - 4.14]，P < 0.008。我们的研究结果表明，人们对AAS可能的副作用的认识程度相当有限。因此，致力于教育公众、限制AAS的获取以及进行卫生政策改革对于减少未来AAS使用的负面影响至关重要。
