Prevalence and Determinants of Performance-Enhancing Substances among Gym Attenders in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Side effects associated with PESs varied from mild effects such as acne, enlargement of testes, and pain in injection site to severe effects such as liver diseases, cardiovascular conditions, and cancer. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of PESs use among gym attenders in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study included 244 adult gymnasts in Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed through online surveying. The link was sent to the mobile phones of gym attenders and a reminder was send one week later. The researchers described the aim and objectives of the study for the residents and ask them to provide a written consent. No names required to assure confidentiality of data and all information were kept confidential only for this study purposes. Results: A total of 244 gym attenders were included in this study, most of them were males. The study included respondents aged 21-68years old with mean age of 38±12. The prevalence of gym-performance enhancing substances was 29.4% and only 31.1% knew the chemical composition of these substances. Online shopping and fitness stores were the most common sources of gym-performance enhancing substances in 23% and 20.5% of the respondents, respectively. The prevalence of substance use in few included females was zero in comparison to 31.5% of the males but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.100). similarly, as the age group be older, the prevalence of using gym-enhancing substances decreased from 32.5% to 16.7%. Conclusions: There is a substantial prevalence of performance-enhancing substances which is similar to that reported in western countries.