Habits of students of Physical Education in relation to the use of Anabolizing Steroids

Abstract

Introduction: The growing appreciation of the body in the current consumer society has contributed to an increasing number of young people using the anabolic steroids, with the intention of developing muscle mass quickly. The indiscriminate use of these substances may give rise to a number of health risks.  Objective: To describe the habits of undergraduate students in Physical Education of a Teaching Institution in relation to the use of androgenic anabolic steroids. Methodology: This is an exploratory, descriptive, quantitative study carried out at a higher education institution in Divinópolis in the years 2015 and 2016. The research sample consisted of 141 students of the Graduation and Bachelor of Physical Education courses. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Then, they were tabulated in Microsoft Excel. Results: Among the participants, the male gender predominated (59.6%), and the age group with the highest occurrence was 21 to 25 years. Most of the participants perform paid activity, being the family income between 1 and 3 minimum wages. 70.9% of individuals say they are satisfied with their body image. 41.1% practice physical activities four or more times in the week, and 37.6% attend gym periodically. Most interviewees know what anabolic steroids are and claim to know their risks (94.3%). Conclusion: The participants of this study, in general, demonstrated to have knowledge regarding the use of these substances. The use of steroids among the minority of participants may have been favored by satisfaction with body image and frequency of physical activity.