Effective Intervention Features of a Doping Prevention Program for Athletes: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Behavioral Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Doping in sports remains a significant issue, necessitating effective prevention strategies.
• Existing anti-doping education programs vary in approach (cognitive, affective, combined) and participant engagement (active vs. passive).
• Understanding the long-term effectiveness and influencing factors of these programs is critical for optimizing interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the effectiveness of different anti-doping education approaches.
• To investigate the impact of athletes' active versus passive participation on program outcomes.
• To assess the short-term and long-term effects of anti-doping interventions on intentions and behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review following PRISMA 2020 guidelines and PICOS framework.
• Meta-analysis and meta-regression of ten studies involving 3581 athletes.
• Effect size calculations to quantify the impact of interventions on doping intentions and behaviors.

Main Results:

• Anti-doping education significantly improves short-term doping intentions (ES = 0.29) and behaviors (ES = -0.27).
• Long-term effects show a decline (ES = -0.13), with moral behaviors largely unaffected (ES = 0.01).
• Passive participation negatively impacts intentions (ES = -0.40) and behaviors (ES = -0.40); pre-experimental designs yielded poorer behavioral outcomes (ES = -0.74).

Conclusions:

• Anti-doping education is effective for short-term behavioral change but requires reinforcement for long-term impact.
• Active athlete engagement is essential for successful doping prevention, surpassing passive approaches.
• Future interventions should focus on sustained engagement and potentially complementary strategies like mentorship to address deeper values.