Effectiveness of educational program based on prototype willingness model on preventing and decreasing anabolic-androgenic steroids among male bodybuilders

The use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) by athletes is a serious widespread public health problem. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of educational programs on prevention of AAS use among male bodybuilders in Hamadan based on Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) as a theoretical framework.
In this quasi-experimental study, 76 male bodybuilders were randomly divided into two experimental (n=37) and control groups (n=39) in Hamadan, west of Iran in 2017. For this purpose, 5 gyms were randomly selected from Hamadan's gyms. Then, gyms randomly allocated in the experimental (2 gyms) and control groups (3 gyms). Finally, participants of each group were selected through simple sampling method from each gym according to the inclusion criteria. Data was collected using a questionnaire, including the PWM constructs and demographic variables. The intervention comprised 5 sessions, applied on the experimental group during one month. Both groups were followed for two months after the intervention.
There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic variables and PWM constructs before educational intervention (P>0.05). After the educational intervention, significant differences were observed in pre- and post-intervention score changes on subjective norms (P=0.040), prototypes (P=0.034), behavioral willingness (P The results showed that the application of educational program based on PWM would be considered as an efficient educational strategy for the prevention of possible increase AAS use among male bodybuilders.