Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Iranian Pharmacists, Body Builders, and Their Coaches Regarding Sports Supplements

Pharmacy professionals' knowledge, attitude and practice towards doping in sports: A Cross-sectional study in Ethiopia

Background

Doping is appearing as a major problem in Ethiopia, a country decorated with medium and long-distance runners. To protect athletes from doping, pharmacists can be the first port of call for advising athletes on drug treatment. Hence, to fuel the anti-doping movement, it is crucial to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practice of community pharmacy professionals. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the community pharmacy professionals' knowledge, attitude, and practices towards doping in sports in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Materials and methods

A cross-sectional survey, involving 336 study participants, was conducted in selected community pharmacies of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from April to May 2018.

Results

Of 336 study participants, most of them knew the word "doping" and out of these, 51.9 % of them wrote the definition of doping correctly. Most respondents classified narcotics, hormone modulators, growth factors, and β-2 agonists correctly. Almost one-third of the professionals agreed that they have adequate information about doping and that doping is a public health problem. Among the participants, only 33.4 % were confronted with "suspicious of doping substance" without a prescription over the last 12 months.

Conclusions

Although most pharmacy professionals lack doping-specific knowledge and adequate training required to be operative in doping prevention, most of them perceive doping as a public health problem although the curriculum does not have good coverage about doping.

Pharmacists as a Source of Advice on Medication Use for Athletes

Background: The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) specifies substances that competitive sportspersons are not allowed to take. Some of these substances are contained in common medicines used in everyday medical practice and could be used by athletes by accident. Objectives: This study aimed to explore pharmacists' knowledge and confidence in guiding athletes about the use of medicines in professional sport. Methods: Registered pharmacists in Australia were invited to participate in an online survey. The survey had five domains and aimed to identify pharmacists' demographic information, interest in sport, familiarity with WADA guidelines, knowledge on prohibited drug classes, and their opinion about the role of pharmacists in educating athletes on medication use. Descriptive statistics were provided and where appropriate, Chi-square, Mann-Whitney and independent t-test were used to identify potential associations and difference between means. Results: One hundred and thirty-five pharmacists (response rate of 10.6%) completed the survey, with the majority indicating that they were not confident in advising athletes on medication use. Although most respondents believed that pharmacists have a role in the education of athletes to help avoid unintentional doping, only about a quarter indicated that they had sufficient knowledge to advise athletes. About one-half of the respondents could provide fully correct answers when asked to identify the WADA status of some commonly used drugs. Conclusions: The results of the survey indicate that upskilling is required to enable pharmacists in Australia to provide accurate medication advice to professional athletes.

Current and Potential Roles in Sports Pharmacy: A Systematic Review

(1) Background: The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate current and potential roles for pharmacists in sports medicine and to identify key themes in outcomes reported in studies. (2) Methods: EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus and the Cochrane Library were searched in January 2019. Peer-reviewed, original research articles were considered for inclusion. Articles published in a language other than English were excluded. Quality appraisal was performed independently by two authors. (3) Results: Findings of 11 eligible articles (10 observational and 1 experimental study design) were grouped into three themes: (i) doping prevention and control, (ii) injury management and first aid, and (iii) educational and curricular needs. Pharmacists were perceived as a good potential source of information about doping and are enthusiastic about counseling athletes, but lack knowledge and confidence in this area. While pharmacists were frequently consulted for advice on managing sprains and strains, their advice was not always guided by current evidence. Pharmacists and pharmacy students recalled limited opportunity for education in sports pharmacy. (4) Conclusion: Pharmacists showed a willingness and an aptitude to counsel athletes. However, lack of knowledge and confidence, and limited educational opportunities, were key barriers. More research is necessary to support pharmacists in this role.