Abstract
Objectives
Our study objectives were twofold: 1) examine whether users and non-users of different
types of sport supplements vary in doping attitudes and sport supplement beliefs,
and 2) determine whether the type of sport supplement is directly and indirectly (via
sport supplement beliefs) related to doping attitudes.
Design
Cross-sectional survey.
Methods
Athletes (N = 557; 77% male, mean ± standard deviation; age = 20.8 ± 4.5 years, training = 5.7 ± 4.2 h per week, competing = 11.1 ± 5.2 years) completed measures of sport supplement use, sport supplement beliefs, and
doping attitudes. Sport supplements were classified into: ergogenic, medical, sport
food and drinks, and superfoods.
Results
Compared to non-users, users of ergogenic (d = 0.31, p < 0.01) and medical (d = 0.42, p < 0.01) sport supplements reported more favourable attitudes towards doping. In addition,
compared to non-users, users of ergogenic (d = 1.10, p < 0.01), medical (d = 0.80, p < 0.01) and sport food/drink (d = 0.58, p < 0.01) supplements reported stronger beliefs in the effectiveness of sport supplements
to improve sport performance. Use of ergogenic, medical and sport food/drink supplements
was indirectly related to doping attitudes via sport supplement beliefs.
Conclusions
Researchers examining the relationship between sport supplement use and doping should
differentiate between sport supplement types to improve measurement accuracy. Sport
practitioners administering ergogenic and medical sport supplements to athletes may
need to provide additional anti-doping education to counteract any favourable attitudes
towards doping.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 22, 2020
Accepted:
September 14,
2020
Received in revised form:
August 18,
2020
Received:
May 15,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
