Citation

Nicholls AR, Fairs LRW, Plata-Andrés M, Bailey R, Cope E, Madigan D, Koenen K, Glibo I, Theodorou NC, Laurent JF, Garcia G, Chanal B. BMJ Open Sport Exerc. Med. 2020; 6(1): e000800.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Publisher BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000800

PMID

33088583 PMCID

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Sports coaches are influential in whether athletes dope, but receive very little antidoping education, particularly within entry-level coaching qualifications. We tested the feasibility of an antidoping intervention, delivered via a mobile application, which was designed to increase coaches' knowledge of doping and to reduce favourable doping attitudes.

Methods: A two-arm randomised controlled trial, with grassroots coaches who coach young amateur athletes aged between 14 and 18 years of age, was conducted. The Anti-Doping Values in Coach Education (ADVICE) mobile application included modules on fair play, substances, nutritional supplements, rules and leadership. The primary outcome was the change in doping knowledge, 6 weeks after receiving the mobile application. The secondary outcome was changes in doping attitudes.

Results: Grassroots coaches (n=200; aged between 18 and 71 years, with between 1 and 42 years of coaching experience) from 29 different countries completed baseline assessments, and 85 completed follow-up assessments, and were included in mixed analysis of variance analyses. The intervention increased coaches' knowledge about doping and also reduced favourable doping attitudes in the experimental arm.

Conclusion: The ADVICE mobile application is a feasible method for delivering and increasing grassroots coaches' knowledge of banned substances and the potential side effects of doping. Mobile application-based resources could facilitate a much wider dissemination of antidoping education.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescent; Drug use; Drug control; Doping