Anabolic steroids: interest among parents and nonathletes

To determine the nature and extent of public interest in anabolic steroids, questionnaires were sent to 1290 family physicians and pediatricians in Texas. Of the 517 respondents, 55% reported being asked about steroids or seeing possible steroid users in their practices during the previous 5 years; 261 physicians (51%) reported 1682 inquiries. High school aged boys were the subject of 60% of all inquiries, 26% of which were made by parents and were exclusively related to sports. Football and athletics in general were the most common reasons for inquiry (62%), but 36% of the adolescents were interested in steroids for psychosocial reasons. Nearly 60% of the inquiries by adolescents and 36% of those by parents were considered to be serious, as opposed to casual. All inquiries regarding adolescents were for boys, and less than 1% were nonwhite. On hundred seventy-seven physicians (34%) reported 802 possible steroid users. Only 17 patients fit the stereotype of a steroid user (ie, competitive bodybuilders or professional and collegiate athletes); football players comprised 12.4% of the total. Those thought to be using steroids for psychosocial reasons equaled almost 10% of the total. All those identified as steroid users were male and only nine were nonwhite. The survey results suggest that interest in and use of anabolic steroids are common, rather than the exclusive purview of competitive athletes. This study is the first to demonstrate parental interest in anabolic steroids.