Interdisziplinäre Strategien der Dopingbekämpfung

An evaluation of prevention initiatives by 53 national anti-doping organizations: Achievements and limitations

BACKGROUND

One main purpose of the World Anti-Doping Agency was to harmonize anti-doping efforts, including the provision of anti-doping education. A multifaceted approach to doping prevention can play a key role in preventing intentional and unintentional doping. This article aimed to systematically record and evaluate doping prevention approaches in the form of information and education activities of national anti-doping organizations (NADOs) and assess the extent to which a multifaceted doping prevention approach has been realized.

METHODS

Data on anti-doping information and education activities of 53 NADOs were collected via a survey and an online search of the NADOs' websites. Prevention activities were classified into knowledge focused, affective focused, social skills, life skills, and ethic- and value- based. The implementation of the prevention activities was assessed by 4 independent raters using a modified visual analogue scale.

RESULTS

In total, 59% of the NADOs (n = 38) returned the survey and 70% (n = 45) had information available online. The data were combined for the visual analogue scale assessment. Overall, 58% of the NADOs (n = 37) reported offering activities including elements of all 5 approaches. Results of the raters' assessments indicated that the knowledge-focused approach was best implemented; the implementation of the other 4 approaches was largely unsatisfactory. The most common barriers to implementing doping prevention programs reported by the NADOs were lack of resources (n = 26) and difficulties in collaborating with sports organizations (n = 8).

CONCLUSION

Results show a discrepancy between NADOs' self-report data and the implementation assessment. Even though the NADOs indicated otherwise, most of their education-based approaches did not address aspects of the visual analogue scale (e.g., resisting peer pressure) and only a few programs were ongoing. Possible explanations might be found in the reported barriers (e.g., financial). Concrete guidelines defining multifaceted, values-based education, and best practice examples should be developed to indicate how to include all 5 approaches in prevention.

Health Psychological Constructs as Predictors of Doping Susceptibility in Adolescent Athletes

BACKGROUND

Doping is a highly relevant problem in sport, even in adolescent athletes. Knowledge of the psychological factors that influence doping susceptibility in young elite athletes remains sparse.

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the predictive potential of different health-psychological constructs and well-being on doping susceptibility. The main hypotheses to be tested were positive associations of fear of failure, external locus of control, and ego-oriented goal orientation as well as negative associations of confidence of success, task orientation, internal locus of control, and performance motivation with doping susceptibility. Low levels of well-being are furthermore expected to be associated with doping susceptibility.

METHODS

Within this cross-sectional study, 1,265 Austrian junior athletes aged between 14 and 19 years responded to a paper-pencil questionnaire.

RESULTS

Performance motivation was a negative, while depressive mood, self-esteem, fear of failure and ego-oriented goal orientation were positive predictors of doping susceptibility. In addition, participants who were offered performance enhancing substances in the past were particularly susceptible to doping.

CONCLUSIONS

The study corroborates the predictive value of classical psychological constructs in doping research, initially analyzed in view of adult athletes, also for adolescents' doping susceptibility.

National doping prevention guidelines: Intent, efficacy and lessons learned - A 4-year evaluation

Background

Doping presents a potential health risk for young athletes. Prevention programs are intended to prevent doping by educating athletes about banned substances. However, such programs have their limitations in practice. This led Germany to introduce the National Doping Prevention Plan (NDPP), in hopes of ameliorating the situation among young elite athletes. Two studies examined 1) the degree to which the NDPP led to improved prevention efforts in elite sport schools, and 2) the extent to which newly developed prevention activities of the national anti-doping agency (NADA) based on the NDPP have improved knowledge among young athletes within elite sports schools.

Methods

The first objective was investigated in a longitudinal study (Study I: t0 = baseline, t1 = follow-up 4 years after NDPP introduction) with N = 22 teachers engaged in doping prevention in elite sports schools. The second objective was evaluated in a cross-sectional comparison study (Study II) in N = 213 elite sports school students (54.5 % male, 45.5 % female, age M = 16.7 ± 1.3 years (all students had received the improved NDDP measure in school; one student group had received additionally NADA anti-doping activities and a control group did not). Descriptive statistics were calculated, followed by McNemar tests, Wilcoxon tests and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA).

Results

Results indicate that 4 years after the introduction of the NDPP there have been limited structural changes with regard to the frequency, type, and scope of doping prevention in elite sport schools. On the other hand, in study II, elite sport school students who received further NADA anti-doping activities performed better on an anti-doping knowledge test than students who did not take part (F(1, 207) = 33.99, p <0.001), although this difference was small.

Conclusion

The integration of doping-prevention in elite sport schools as part of the NDPP was only partially successful. The results of the evaluation indicate that the introduction of the NDPP has contributed more to a change in the content of doping prevention activities than to a structural transformation in anti-doping education in elite sport schools. Moreover, while students who did receive additional education in the form of the NDPP“booster sessions” had significantly more knowledge about doping than students who did not receive such education, this difference was only small and may not translate to actual behavior.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13011-016-0079-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Doping awareness, views, and experience: a comparison between general practitioners and pharmacists

PURPOSE

Information about doping awareness among medical professionals is scarce. We evaluated the attitudes, level of knowledge and experience among general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists (Ps) with regard to doping.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional national survey a 59-item self-administered questionnaire was sent to a representative random sample of 645 GPs and 330 Ps.

RESULTS

Overall, 204/975 (133 GPs, 71 Ps) questionnaires were returned and available for analysis. Fewer than half (39% GPs vs. 48% Ps, P = 0.702) of respondents were familiar with the formal definition of doping. The abbreviation WADA was correctly interpreted by 42% (33% vs. 59%, P = 0.003), and 65% knew that the European Commission has the legislation to fight against doping. More GPs (69% vs. 31%, P = 0.005) agreed to have a role to play in doping prevention, similar proportions considering themselves to have sufficient knowledge of prevention initiatives (65% vs. 35%, P = 0.369). Overall, 12% of respondents (8.7% GPs, 19.3% Ps) reported being directly confronted with a request for prescription of doping agents in the previous 12 months (mainly stimulants, anabolic agents, hormones, corticosteroids).

CONCLUSIONS

GPs and Ps are frequently exposed to questions about and requests for doping agents. They have acceptable level of general knowledge but are in need for more specific information on prohibited substances and legislature.