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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Michael S Dunn, PhD, Department of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, P.O. Box 70674, Johnson City, TN 37614, 423-439-4458, dunn@etsu.edu
Research suggest that attitudes and beliefs about the effectiveness of sports enhancement dietary supplements (i.e. creatine, chromium picolinate, andro, etc) are influenced by a variety of sources including coaches, parents, and athletic trainers. As such, this research sought to determine differences between supplement user and non-user as it relates to the influence of significant mentors (coaches, parents, trainers) on attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions among high school athletes. During the Winter and Spring of 1999, students participating in school athletics were recruited to participate in a study to assess attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions regarding dietary supplement use. Adolescent athletes (n=1626) enrolled in grades nine through twelve in nine public schools in the South completed the Survey to Predict Adolescent Athletes' Dietary Supplement Use (SPAADSU). The results of this study found that non-users were influenced more by parents, whereas users were influenced more by athletic trainers on attitudes. In regards to subjective norms, parents were found to be the best predictor for non-users, whereas trainers were found to be the best predictor for users. Trainers were the most influential on intentions for non-users, whereas parents and trainers were equally influential among users. Attitudes were the best predictor of non-use and use. From a public health standpoint, it is important that health promotion professionals are made aware the influencing power of significant mentors can exert on adolescents in order to prevent the senseless death and disability of America's youth that can result from improper dietary supplement use.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.