An Analysis of Steroid Use among High School Athletes by Janelle Mack An Applied Research Project Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Public Policy and Administration, School of Business and Public Administration California State University, Bakersfield In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION June 2008 Approved: ________________ _______ R. Steven Daniels, Ph. D. Date Approved:_________________ ________ B.J. Moore Date ii Executive Summary The purpose of this project is to determine the amount of knowledge that high school coaches and college athletes have of steroid use among high school athletes. There has been a problem with athletes using steroids, especially professionals. High school athletes are using steroids as well, which is even more dangerous. Their bodies may not be fully developed and they may not understand how drastic the side effects of steroid use can be. Using the surveys as a research tool will aid in my recommendations for high schools nationwide. I surveyed the high school coaches of male and female soccer and track and field, wrestling, football, and baseball. I also surveyed college athletes of baseball and both male and female athletes, of soccer, and track and field. I interviewed two program administrators, one in favor of drug testing as a deterrent for steroid use among high school athletes, the other in favor of education as a deterrent. The interviews were used as resources and were compared to the answers given in the surveys. The survey responses showed that the high school coaches and the college athletes overestimated the prevalence rate among high school athletes. Between the high school coaches and the college athletes, the average rate of steroids used nationally by high school athletes was about 9 percent. The actual prevalence rate among high school athletes ranges from about 1 percent to 6 percent (Green, 2007). College athletes and high school coaches overestimate steroid use among high school athletes by about 4%. This difference is significant. In addition, 36 percent of the college athletes and 27 percent of the high school coaches said they were not at all knowledgeable of steroids. These results suggest that education about steroids is critical in high school athletics. iii Dedication I would like to take the time to acknowledge those who have helped me throughout my college years, and on my final thesis paper. Being in the public administration program at California State University of Bakersfield has taught me a lot. Working on this thesis paper has definitely given me new respect for those who have to gather research by conducting surveys. I will take the time to fill out more surveys if I am ever asked in the future. I would first like to thank my family. My family has always been there for me no matter what. I would specifically like to thank my parents, Luther and Genie Mack. They have always encouraged me, prayed for me, and stood by me through the good and bad times. I could not ask for better parents. I love you guys so much! I would also like to thank my grandmother, Helen, whose prayers kept me going. Her faith never fails and I love her for that! I would like to thank my boyfriend, Qyntyn, for forcing me to stay up all night to work on this thesis. Thank you for the Starbucks, I love you! I would also like to thank the athletic department, and specifically Tim La Kose. I appreciate the guidance and support! Finally, I would like to thank R. Steven Daniels, Chandra Commuri, Thomas R. Martinez, Jinping Sun and B.J. Moore for helping me become a better student. I appreciate their time and effort, but more importantly their encouragement. Grading all the thesis papers while keeping their sanity must have been extremely challenging. Thank you all for taking the time to help me despite your busy schedules. iv Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................II DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................................... III TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................. IV CHAPTER 1..........................................................................................................................................................1 BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM.......................................................................................................................1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ..........................................................................................................................1 RESEARCH METHODS ........................................................................................................................................2 IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY .............................................................................................................................3 CHAPTER 2..........................................................................................................................................................4 THE HISTORY OF STEROIDS...............................................................................................................................4 THE DEFINITION OF STEROIDS ..........................................................................................................................4 STEROID USE......................................................................................................................................................5 REASONS FOR STEROID USE ..............................................................................................................................8 PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES HAVE AN EFFECT ON HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES...................................................9 EFFECTS OF STEROID USE ...............................................................................................................................10 THE PREVALENCE OF STEROID USE AMONG HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES........................................................12 POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS ..............................................................................................................................14 HYPOTHESES ....................................................................................................................................................15 CHAPTER 3........................................................................................................................................................16 RESEARCH DESIGN ..........................................................................................................................................16 SURVEYS ..........................................................................................................................................................16 Sample of High School Coaches ...............................................................................................................17 Sample of College Athletes ........................................................................................................................18 INTERVIEWS .....................................................................................................................................................19 v CHAPTER 4........................................................................................................................................................21 SURVEY RESULTS ............................................................................................................................................21 Steroids among High School Athletes.......................................................................................................21 Comparison of National, California, and Kern County Steroid Use......................................................21 Comparison of High School, College, and Professional Athletes...........................................................22 Knowledge ..................................................................................................................................................23 Influence from Professional Athletes ........................................................................................................23 Solutions......................................................................................................................................................23 Reasons for Steroid Use.............................................................................................................................24 INTERVIEW RESULTS .......................................................................................................................................25 The Start of Education and Drug-Testing ................................................................................................25 Education versus Drug-Testing.................................................................................................................26 Effectiveness ...............................................................................................................................................28 Solutions......................................................................................................................................................29