Managing risks and harms associated with the use of anabolic steroids: a qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

People using anabolic steroids adopt different strategies to manage risks and harms associated with the use of these substances. We investigated how users learn, develop and incorporate risk-management strategies, as well as the events triggering changes in their health-related behaviour.

Methods

Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with anabolic steroid users living in the UK to discuss their risk-management strategies (19 males, 1 female; median age = 35.5 years; median time of anabolic steroid use = 9 years). Online interviews were transcribed verbatim and qualitative data was analysed via iterative categorisation.

Results

The use of risk-management strategies was characterised as a continuous cycle of identification, prevention and control o

SUBMITTER: Amaral JMX 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12302693 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature