Use of chemicals to improve sports performance in Physical Education students at a public university

Abstract

The indiscriminate consumption of performance-enhancing chemicals in sport has become a cause for concern by putting the athlete's well-being and life at risk. Considering the relevance of understanding the determinants that lead individuals to the use of chemical compounds with ergogenic properties, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics associated with the use of chemical substances for sports improvement among university students enrolled in the Physical Education course of a public higher education institution. The sample of the present study consisted of 230 participants who were submitted to a questionnaire based on scientific papers that address the prevalence and use of supplements and performance enhancers. It was found that the most frequently adopted supplements were those containing proteins and amino acids as major components, while anabolic-androgenic steroids are the most commonly used enhancers. The most cited prescription for the use of supplements and enhancers was by self-prescription. The presence of side effects from the use of chemicals has been reported. Logistic regression with independent variables showed an association of the use of supplements with the variables: sex OR= 2.4 (95% CI: 1.4 - 4.4); type of undergraduate degree OR= 2.6 (95% CI: 1.4 - 4.8) and age OR= 3.1 (95% CI: 1.4 - 7.0). The indiscriminate consumption of these products points to the need to alert the population to health risks, making further studies in the area necessary.