Журнал спортивной медицины и допинговых исследований

Gender Differences in Drug Abuse or Dietary Supplement Use in Japanese Colligate Athletes

Abstract

Masato Takahashi

Background: The doping control tests have identified several cases of drug abuse in sports in Japan. In particular, drug abuse by collegiate athletes is a major problem. Furthermore, there is a high prevalence of drug supplement use in young athletes. Therefore, social interventions are required to prevent drug abuse and dietary supplement use in sports. However, these issues have remained unexplored in Japan.

Aim: We explored the state of drug abuse and dietary supplement use in sports as well as the attitude toward it during in young individuals, particularly colligate athletes. We also evaluated the sex differences between collegiate athletes in terms of the state of drug abuse in sports and attitude toward it in Japan. Our results may suggest the need to modify the anti-doping or anti-drug abuse policies in sports according to the sex difference.

Methods: This study included almost 500 collegiate athletes (16.7% females) from a Japanese physical education university. The study questionnaire was administered to students enrolled in sports medicine or health care studies classes. The questionnaire evaluated the state of drug abuse and dietary supplement use in sports, as well as the attitude toward doping.

Results: There were no sex differences between responses to the questionnaire, except for the use of dietary supplement use. Furthermore, there were no significant sex differences in the attitude toward doping.

Conclusions: Both male and female collegiate athletes tend to forgive drug abuse in sports in Japan. Conversely, although dietary supplement use in sports was suggested by both male and female athletes, female athletes did not use the supplements. Therefore, systematic interventions should be designed to provide anti-doping and anti-drug abuse education in sports to avoid drug abuse.