[Doping: epidemiological studies]

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Epidemiology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Collecting epidemiological data on doping is challenging due to definition issues and the illicit nature of drug use.
• Difficulties include defining sports participants and identifying all banned substances.
• The clandestine use of drugs complicates accurate prevalence estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the prevalence of doping in sports across different age groups and competitive levels.
• To identify commonly used performance-enhancing drugs and their sources.
• To highlight the accessibility of prohibited substances for athletes.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing epidemiological data and studies on doping prevalence.
• Analysis of reported drug use in adolescent and adult athletes.
• Inclusion of data on non-sport drug use for occupational performance.

Main Results:

• Doping prevalence ranges from 3-5% in adolescents and 5-15% in amateur adults, with higher rates in males and competitive athletes.
• Anabolic steroids and stimulants are common, with poly-drug use increasing.
• Adolescents and adults report easy access to prohibited drugs through various channels, including the black market.

Conclusions:

• Doping is more widespread than suggested by anti-doping controls.
• There is a significant gap in precise epidemiological data regarding doping.
• Further research is essential to obtain more accurate prevalence rates and understand doping behaviors.