Validity of self-report in identifying anabolic steroid use among weightlifters

To determine the validity of self-report in the detection of anabolic steroid use among weightlifters, self-report was compared with assay results of simultaneous urine samples from 48 male weightlifters. The sensitivity of self-report in the detection of urinary anabolic steroids was 74%, and specificity was 82%. In addition, 22 of 23 participants who declared current use had at least one undeclared anabolic steroid identified in their urine. However, 15 participants reported at least one drug that was not detected in the urine. Furthermore, 3 of 17 declared nonusers had objective evidence of steroids in their urine. The validity of self-report may be inadequate to differentiate reliably between users and nonusers.