title: Attitudes and behaviors with regards to androgenic anabolic steroids among male adolescents in a county of Sweden.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate attitudes towards androgenic anabolic steroids among male adolescents who have used anabolics compared to those who have not.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was performed in the year 2000 in all secondary schools in the county of Halland on the west coast of Sweden.
  
  
  METHODS
  An anonymous multiple-choice questionnaire was distributed to all classes with 14-, 16-, and 18-year-old male adolescents. The response rate was 92.7% (n=4049).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Those who admitted having used androgenic anabolic steroids differed in several ways from those who had not. Fewer believed androgenic anabolic steroids to be harmful [odds ratio (OR) = 0.15, 95% CI 0.08-0.30] and more believed that girls preferred boys with large muscles (OR = 6.1, 95% CI 3.4-11.0). They trained more often at gyms (OR = 5.6, 95% CI 3.0-10.6), drank more alcohol (OR = 4.2, 95% CI 2.0-9.1), and had used narcotic drugs more often (OR = 15.3, 95% CI 8.5-27.5) than the other male adolescents. More immigrants than native-born adolescents had used anabolics (OR = 4.2, 95% CI 2.2-7.9).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Attitudes towards anabolics differ between users and nonusers. These aspects may be beneficial to focus on as one part of a more complex intervention program in order to change these attitudes and decrease the misuse of androgenic anabolic steroids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Health Care, Varberg, Sweden. s.nilsson@neptunuskliniken.nu
authors.forename: Sverker
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Spak
authors.forename: Bertil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marklund
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baigi
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Allebeck
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D045930:Anabolic Agents / Q000633:toxicity; D000728:Androgens / Q000633:toxicity; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001824:Body Constitution / Q000187:drug effects; D001828:Body Image; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004300:Doping in Sports / Q000523:psychology; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000633:toxicity; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000633:toxicity; D008297:Male; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D045930:Anabolic Agents; D000728:Androgens; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D013006:Growth Hormone