The prevalence of the use of androgenic anabolic steroids by adolescents in a county of Sweden

Background: The prevalence of the use of androgenic anabolicsteroids has been poorly studied in Europe. This study was undertakento examine the prevalence of the misuse - the non-medical use- of androgenic anabolic steroids among adolescents in a countyof Sweden. Methods: The total population of 16 and 17 year oldmale and female adolescents in a county on the south-west coastof Sweden was studied. The investigation was done by an anonymousmultiple-choice questionnaire. The questionnaire was completedby 5,827 pupils and statistically analysed. The participationrate was 95%. Results: Among male adolescents 16 and 17 yearsold, 3.6% and 2.8% had misused androgenic anabolic steroids,respectively. These male adolescents had also misused alcohol,growth hormones and narcotic drugs more than the steroid hormonenon-users. Among female adolescents there was no recorded misuseof these drugs (0.0%). Conclusions: The misuse of androgenicanabolic steroids Is a reality in both small and large municipalitiesin Sweden. The prevalence figures are higher among 16 year oldcompared to 17 year old male adolescents. There is an associationbetween this drug misuse and other substance misuse such asnarcotic drugs. Female adolescents do not misuse steroid hormones.The findings indicate the need for preventive work among maleadolescents in order to induce adolescents not to start misusingandrogenic anabolic steroids.