Knowledge and Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs Among Nigeria Elite Athletes

Abstract

The use of drugs to enhance sports performance by athletes is currently a world wide social problem. Although, sports administrators are doing a lot to discourage the practice, yet the incidence appears to be on the increase. It is against this background that the study investigated the knowledge and use of performance enhancing drugs among Nigerian elite athletes. Also, it examined the influence of chronological age of a selected sample of elite athletes and type of sports they engage in on the use of performance enhancing drugs. A total of 220 athletes were randomly sampled from eleven popular sports in Nigeria. A set of questionnaire developed and validated by the researcher was used to collect data for the study. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results showed that all the participants had heard about and seen each of the performance enhancing drugs identified in the study. Also, there was a significance influence of the sex of athletes and types of sports in drug use habits. Athletes in this study had used ephedrine, caffeine, anabolic steroids and dianabol. Participants in this study used performance enhancing drugs to perform beyond their ability, control weight and to excel at competitions. Based on the findings, it was recommended that Nigerian government should embark on a comprehensive and effective implementation of preventive drug educational programmes for athletes and athletes' support personnel.