Amateur sports population: age-specific anti-doping awareness survey

ˑ: 

PhD S.A. Danilenko1
PhD O.V. Koptseva1
N. I. Plotitsin2
1Amur State Medical Academy of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Blagoveschensk
2Department of Physical Culture and sport of the Department of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth of the town council of Blagoveshchensk, Blagoveshchensk

Abstract
Objective of the study was to survey and analyze the age-specific anti-doping awareness in amateur sports.
Methods and structure of the study. We sampled for the special questionnaire survey the 14-19 and 20-45-year-old (n=112 and n=87, respectively) amateur groups to probe and analyze their anti-doping awareness.
Results and conclusion. The survey found the senior and more experienced amateur sports group being 18.9% more aware of the doping control issues, although only about half of the sample reported them personally relevant. On the whole the groups were tested low on the doping tolerance scale. One of four respondents was found justifying application of prohibited substances and methods, whilst the sample on the whole showed low awareness of the valid Prohibited List and self-administered or prescribed drugs usage procedures. Most of the sample mentioned the must-win mindsets as the key reason for doping in sports. The respondents also mentioned the important role of public TV and Internet resources for the age-unspecific anti-doping awareness. The questionnaire survey, however, found an extremely low engagement in the anti-doping education courses and poor awareness of the relevant anti-doping regional and federal initiatives in the groups. Less than 30% of the sample reported attending at least one anti-doping education course. The questionnaire survey and analysis found a high demand of the amateur sports population for the anti-doping education and anti-doping awareness campaigns using every modern information technology: social networks, messengers, chat-bots and interactive communication tools.

Keywords: doping, awareness level, questionnaire survey, anti-doping provisions.

References

  1. Anikina A.V., Anikin V.I. Doping v sporte kak issledovatelskaya problema: obzor rossiyskih publikatsiy [Doping in sports as research problem: Russian publications review]. Pedagogiko-psikhologicheskie i mediko-biologicheskie problemy fizicheskoy kultury i sporta. 2018. No. 4. pp. 48-54. [Electronic resource] (date of access: March 10 2021) Available at: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/doping-v-sporte-kak-issledovatelskaya-....
  2. Kiryanova L.A., Morozova L.V., Dmitriev I.V. et al. Pedagogicheskie i organizatsionnye voprosy borby s dopingom v sporte [Pedagogical and organizational issues of anti-doping activities in sports]. Uchenye zapiski universiteta im. Lesgafta. 2018. No. 1 (155). [Electronic resource] (date of access: March 12 2021) Available at: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/pedagogicheskie-i-organizatsionnye-vop....
  3. Rossiyskoe antidopingovoe agentstvo. Missiya [Russian Anti-Doping Agency. Mission] [Electronic resource] (date of access: March 10 2021) Available at: https://rusada.ru/about/mission.
  4. Malek S., Taylor J., Mansell K. A questionnaire examining attitudes of collegiate athletes toward doping and pharmacists as information providers. Can Pharm J (Ott). 2014 Nov; 147(6):352-8. doi: 10.1177/1715163514552559. PMID: 25364352; PMCID: PMC4213257.
  5. Mudrak J., Slepicka P., Slepickova I. (2018) Sport motivation and doping in adolescent athletes. PLoS ONE 13 (10): e0205222. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone. 0205222.
  6. World anti-doping agency. Strategy [Электронный ресурс] (дата обращения 10 марта 2021) URL: https://www.wada-ama.org/en/who-we-are/strategy.