Performance Enhancement & Health 1 (2012) 75–82 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Performance Enhancement & Health jo ur nal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/peh The attitudes and perceptions of adolescent track and field athletes toward PED use Lawrence W. Judge a,∗ , David Bellar b , Jeffrey Petersen c , Rafer Lutz c,1 , Erin Gilreath a , Laura Simon a , Mike Judge d a Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA b University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, USA c Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA d Throw1Deep Sports, Marietta, GA, USA a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 3 September 2011 Received in revised form 3 April 2012 Accepted 17 April 2012 This article is dedicated to the memory of our colleague, Rafer Lutz, a consummate scholar and professional. His battle against melanoma demonstrated his strength of character and inspired many. Keywords: Competition Doping Fair play Anabolic steroids Youth sports a b s t r a c t The practice of enhancing athletic performance through the use of extraneous artificial means is as old as competitive sport itself. Very little research assessing the attitudes of adolescent strength/power ath- letes concerning ergogenic aids exists. As national anti-doping organizations (NADOs) and even state and local athletic associations adopt preventative measures to complement detection-based deterrence methods, understanding adolescent athlete attitudes towards drugs in sport will take on a new impor- tance. This study was conducted to measure athlete attitudes in the sport of track and field (specifically throwers) toward performance enhancing drug (PED) use and drug testing using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework. The sample was comprised of 46 males (mean age = 15.9, SD = 2.2 years) and 52 females (mean age = 15.8, SD = 1.9 years). A 4-step hierarchical regression was employed to deter- mine how study variables predicted intent to use PEDs. Gender did not predict significant variance in intent (R 2 = .04; p = .06), but the theory of planned behavior constructs (R 2 change = .46; p < .001), attitude strength and moral conviction (R 2 change = .06; p < .05), and the interaction of attitude with moral con- viction (R 2 change = .04; p < .01) did predict significant variance in intent for PED use. In the final model, significant predictors of intent included attitude, injunctive norms, attitude strength (centrality), moral conviction, and the attitude by moral conviction interaction. The conclusions of the present study show that attitude strength and moral conviction are important considerations in understanding PED use. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The idea that sport should provide children and adolescents with an unwavering moral compass is commonly held, and is mirrored in the extensive list of personal and social benefits attributed to sport involvement (White, Duda, & Keller, 1998). Due to the fact that success in sport is typically coupled with fame and financial rewards, the use of banned performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to gain a competitive edge is tempting. According to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) official statistics, annually 1–2% of all the doping tests are found positive for illegal PED use (Mottram, 2005). It is possible that the real prevalence of doping among ath- letes is considerably higher than this (Bents, Tokish, & Goldberg, 2004; Laure, 1997; Mottram, 2005; Scarpino et al., 1990; Yesalis & ∗ Corresponding author at: Ball State University, HP 213, Muncie, IN 47306, USA. Tel.: +1 765 285 4211. E-mail address: LWJudge@bsu.edu (L.W. Judge). 1 Deceased. Bahrke, 1995). Use of PEDs is not just limited to adult athletes, but also includes adolescents. In 2006, the New Jersey Interscholas- tic Athletic Association was the first state to enact random drug testing of high school athletes (The List, 2006). More recently, the University Interscholastic League (UIL) within the state of Texas spent nearly $6 million for its high school athlete steroids test- ing program, the most comprehensive in the nation (In the Zone, 2009). Athletes utilizing unhealthy doping habits at this crucial age may experience more negative health effects, and athletes start- ing the doping process at a younger age may use the substances for longer periods of time raising the potential for negative health consequences (Judge, Craig, Bellar, & Gilreath, 2010). 1.1. Adolescence: an important time for growth and development Adolescence, the period from the onset of puberty to the assumption of adult status, is a time of both biological and social transition (Green & Palfrey, 2002). Although rapid changes in phys- ical and sexual development are often considered the hallmarks of adolescence, teenagers are also experiencing profound changes 2211-2669/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.peh.2012.04.002