Prevalence and correlates of appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs and substances use among a national sample of college students aged 18–30.

THERAPEUTIC use of proteins; SUBSTANCE abuse risk factors; SUBSTANCE abuse; RISK assessment; POISSON distribution; CROSS-sectional method; SECONDARY analysis; EXERCISE; ANABOLIC steroids; SEX distribution; BODY weight; SEXUAL orientation identity; BODY image; AGE distribution; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; LONGITUDINAL method; ATHLETES; SPORTS participation; PERSONAL beauty; CREATINE; PSYCHOLOGY of college students; SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC factors; ERGOGENIC aids; DIETARY supplements; REGRESSION analysis; DOPING in sports; OBESITY

Objective: To identify the lifetime prevalence and correlates of appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs and substances (APEDS) use among a national sample of US college and university students. Participants: Student participants from the 2020–2021 Healthy Minds Study (N = 7,401; ages 18–30 years). Methods: Lifetime prevalence of five forms of APEDS was estimated. Modified Poisson regression analyses were conducted to determine the sociodemographic correlates of protein and creatine supplement use. Results: Lifetime protein (23.8%) and creatine (7.7%) supplement use were most common among the sample. Older age within young adulthood, male sex, perceiving oneself to be normal weight or somewhat overweight, any athletics participation, and 2–3 or ≥ 5 h/week of exercise were associated with greater likelihood of lifetime protein and creatine supplement use. Conclusions: Awareness and prevention efforts on the potential harms of APEDS use are needed on campuses, particularly among males and those who participate in athletics and high-frequency exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of American College Health is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)