Background: Anabolic ergogenic substance use, in particular the use of anabolic androgenic steroids, is a serious problem in general. Nevertheless, it is subject to debate whether ergogenic substance users exhibit similar features as multiple substance users or whether they constitute a discrete group.
Methods: One thousand eight hundred and two standardized, anonymous questionnaires were distributed among visitors of 113 fitness centers. Questions were asked concerning biometric parameters, social indicators, physical fitness, use of natural stimulants, general illicit drugs and ergogenic substances. With logistic regression analysis, multivariate odds ratios were estimated to investigate the association of anabolic ergogenic substance or general illicit drug use with other parameters.
Results: 13.5% of all participants confessed to having used anabolic ergogenic substances at some point in time. Anabolic ergogenic substance use was positively related with cocaine use, training years, training frequency, negatively related to the level of education, alcohol intake and less frequently used by Germans than by non-Germans. General illicit drug use, however, was positively related with alcohol intake, smoking and a university degree and negatively with having children. In addition, anabolic ergogenic substance use was significantly related with the use of general illicit drugs based on the strong relation with the use of cocaine, which is an ergogenic substance itself. The health care system supplies 48.1% of the anaolic ergogenic substance users with their substances and 32.1% are even monitored by a physician.
Conclusions: The results of this study strengthen the notion that anabolic ergogenic substance users constitute a specific body-oriented substance user group. Uncommon for general illicit drug use, the health care system is a major sponsor of anabolic ergogenic substance users. These findings suggest the need for alternative approaches for successful prevention and intervention programs.