AMATEUR DOPING: A SURVEY AMONG SICILIAN PEOPLE

Abstract

In last years, Amateur Doping has caused many victims. In order to know the diffusion of this phenomenon, we have conducted an online-survey through Google forms. We also transformed the same questionnaire on paper and it was administered in many gyms in Palermo and Trapani (Sicily-Italy). The sample examined consists of 976 people aged between 14 and 65 (47.3% of them are women and 52.7% are men). We asked them if they ever took on substances to improve their athletic performances: 25.8% of them answered affirmatively and they declared to take on protein, amino acids but also Eca Stacks, which are hired on regular basis (34.6%). They bought this substances in sporting stores (32.2%), in pharmacy without prescription (26.8%), on internet sites (22.8%), in gyms (10.7%); 7.5% of them answered that they bought substances in other place. Furthermore, 17.9% of them declared that training companions, but also coaches and/or responsible of sports societies have proposed to them to take doping substances (Winstrol, Tamoxifene, Testosterone, EPO, exc...). 16.8% of interviewed claimed that is right to take substance with the purpose to improve their performances. However, when we asked them if they would ever have taken substances to their children, 95.8% of them answered “absolutely not”. They also declared to want more information about the real dangers related to uncorrected doping-substances intake. In conclusion, it appears necessary to adopt measures of information and prevention to reduce diffusion of this dangerous phenomenon.