Health and Fitness

Study Finds Higher Rates of Steroid Use Among Gay and Bisexual Teen Boys


Elk Grove Village, IL—(ENEWSPF)—February 3, 2014. A new study in Pediatrics finds gay and bisexual adolescents are more than 5 times more likely to misuse anabolic-androgenic steroids than their heterosexual counterparts, putting them at risk of cardiovascular, endocrine and psychiatric complications. The study, “Sexual Orientation and Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids in U.S. Adolescent Boys,” will be published in the March 2014 Pediatrics and released online Feb. 4.

Researchers analyzed questionnaires from 17,250 adolescents, of whom 635 were classified as sexual minorities. They found that 21 percent of gay and bisexual boys had used steroids at least once in their lives, compared to 4 percent of heterosexual boys. Gay and bisexual boys were also more likely to be heavy users (4 percent versus 0.7 percent for heterosexual boys). According to the study authors, gay and bisexual boys may be at higher risk of steroid use in part due to increased symptoms of depression, victimization, substance use, and poor body image.

Study authors conclude prevention and intervention efforts would benefit from focusing on this at-risk group.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.

Source: www.aap.org

 


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