The Effect of Negative Health Consequences Information on Likelihood to Use Anabolic Steroids: An International Investigation

Summary
There is considerable research documenting the negative health consequences of short-term and long-term Anabolic Steroid (AS) use for adolescents. As a result, one approach to prevention is to design programs that focus on informing adolescents of including these consequences. Surprisingly, little research has been conducted to provide empirically based evidence that such a prevention approach is effective. Additionally, there is a dearth of international research, which further inhibits the progress of developing effective interventions targeting AS use. Presenting information about negative health consequences may be a viable approach in one nation but not viable in another.

Methodology
Two studies were conducted to test the effectiveness of an intervention that provided negative consequences information about AS to adolescent athletes. In one study adolescent athletes from Australia (N = 165) were recruited from organizations with strong junior programs and received a paper/pencil version of the intervention and questionnaire. In another study adolescent athletes from England (N = 137) and the United States (AS; N = 162) were recruited from high school and club sports teams.

Results

Results showed that the effect of the messages on attitudes, intentions, and willingness differed across the two studies. The study conducted in Australia showed that providing information about AS, whether it was through a negative consequences message or a comprehensive message, lead to more favorable attitudes and intentions than receiving control information. Results of the study conducted with adolescents from England and the US showed something different. In this study providing adolescents with a negative consequences message led to a significantly fewer endorsed advantages than did exposure to a comprehensive or control message. Although the negative consequences led to fewer endorsed advantages, the negative consequences and the comprehensive message had no discernible impact on the other cognitions (e.g., attitudes, intentions or willingness) than did the control message. Together these findings imply that the negative consequences approach might be sufficient for reducing the potential benefits adolescents perceive regarding AS use, but the message does not lead to significant shifts in personal attitudes, intentions, willingness.

Taken together it appears that a negative consequences approach increased risk cognitions associated with AS use for the sample of Australian adolescents, but had little impact on adolescents in England and the US.