Norwegian teenagers report liberal views on doping to build muscle and lose weight

It is well documented that long-term use of IPEDs, particularly AAS, is linked to various physiological and psychological side effects, higher mortality rates, aggressive behavior, and increased crime rates. There are, however, large variations in how the side effects manifest themselves between individuals. The many potential negative consequences of IPED use on both the individual and societal level has led some to suggest that doping use by recreational exercisers is an emerging public health concern.

Motivations for exercise

IPED use is in most cases associated with sport participation and physical exercise. During adolescence, training habits and motivations for being physically active often changes. Some individuals exercise within an organized sport club, becoming more performance oriented and competitive, while others start training at fitness center, with goals to maintain good health in addition to improving physical appearance through increased muscle mass and reduced fat mass. A better knowledge about whether adolescents´ preferred exercise arena and type of physical activity affect doping attitudes and behavior would be important for designing and implementing targeted and effective strategies to prevent IPED use.

A national survey

A recent study published in the journal Performance Enhancement & Health (Lauritzen, 2024) examined IPED prevalence, attitudes, and intentions to use such substances among Norwegian adolescents. The data was collected in municipalities throughout Norway in the years 2021 and 2022 as part of a national survey on youth health comprising 88 415 respondents aged 13-19 years. The survey was conducted during school hours in lower secondary school (grade level 8-10) and upper secondary education (grade 11-13).

Physically active adolescents

According to the results, most adolescents (84%) reported being physically active at least one time per week to the extent that they became short of breath, while 72% of all respondents participated in weekly exercise in a sports club, a fitness center, in other organized forms of exercise (for example dancing, yoga and martial arts) and/or in self-organized training (for example running, strength training at home or outdoors). Many respondents participated in physical exercise at more than one arena per week. The preferred training arena varied between males and females, and across grade levels. Overall, the proportion of adolescents doing weekly exercise in a sports club decreased as they got older, while more started exercising in gyms. From the 10th grade and upwards, more adolescents exercised in gyms than in sport clubs.

Liberal attitudes

The respondents reported a relatively low relative prevalence of current or lifetime IPED use, but surprisingly liberal attitudes, and a high acceptance for IPED use for increasing muscle mass or reducing weight, but not for improving sport performance. The normalization of IPED use was particularly evident among individuals that exercised regularly in fitness centers. The more sessions performed in a fitness center per week, the more liberal attitudes were reported.

The fitness center as a risk factor

It is not surprising that fitness centers have become the most common arena for physical activity in some countries. They are accessible, flexible and provides many different types of activities to cater for individual needs and preferences. However, the results presented here suggest that the gym culture and its environment, with a focus on physical appearance, extensive use of dietary supplements and normalization of IPEDs by certain influencers, may increase the risk of IPED use.

The median age for starting IPED use has typically been reported to be in the early twenties, highlighting the importance of fostering anti-doping attitudes during the teenage years. This is also the time-period were many adolescents change their practices related to what and where they perform physical activity. The fitness industry and organizations working within anti-doping should take note of the normalization and widespread acceptance of IPED use reported by some gym goers compared to by individuals preferring other forms of exercise and take appropriate steps to curb future use of these potentially harmful substances.

The article is written by

Fredrik Lauritzen, Science Director, Anti-Doping Norway

on the request of PopNAD