ABSTRACT
Performance-enhancing substances (PES) are used to help improve athletic performance or physical appearance. Two types of PES used by adolescents are anabolic steroids (AS) and performance-enhancing nutritional supplements. AS are synthetic derivatives of testosterone with the potential to improve muscle mass (Strauss and Yesalis 1991). Although there are a number of legitimate medical uses for AS, these substances may be misused by adolescents (i.e., used without oversight from a physician to treat a medical condition) as a way to increase athletic or physical performance. Between 1 and 5 percent of adolescents in the United States (US) report having tried AS during their lifetime (Dodge and Jaccard 2006; Hoffman et al. 2008), and these estimates are comparable to those documented in other countries (Mattila et al. 2010; Pallesen et al. 2004). This chapter highlights the potential utility of developing parent-based interventions to reduce use of PES among adolescents.
