Steroids and supplements: Navigating adolescent and young adult use of appearance and performance-enhancing drugs and substances for health professionals

Facilitator: Kyle T. Ganson, PhD, MSW. 

Description: This interactive training will explore the growing use of appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs and substances (APEDS), such as whey protein, creatine monohydrate, and anabolic-androgenic steroids, among adolescents and young adults, particularly boys and young men. 

APEDS are frequently used to promote muscular development, strength, and physical performance, often in pursuit of the idealized muscular body. Despite perceptions that legal dietary supplements like protein supplements are safe, research reveals significant physical and psychosocial harms associated with their use. These include medical complications, body image distress, and problematic substance use patterns. 

The largely unregulated landscape in Canada, alongside widespread promotion on social media, further elevates the risks for young users. Additionally, recent trends indicate that the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids is more common than perceived, with users often experiencing uninformed clinicians and stigma in healthcare settings. This leads to unmonitored use, which may result in impacts on health and well-being that could be avoided with appropriate harm reduction interventions. 

The training aims to enhance participants’ knowledge of APEDS use, including prevalence trends, motivations, risk factors, and adverse outcomes. Participants will also explore multidisciplinary screening and treatment approaches, grounded in harm reduction principles. Interactive learning will be emphasized throughout the session.

Learning objectives: 

• Participants will be able to define at least 5 types of APEDS and accurately describe their intended purposes in the context of muscular development, strength enhancement, and recovery.
• Participants will be able to identify 3-5 psychosocial and environmental risk factors that contribute to APEDS use among adolescents and young adults, as well as identify 3-5 adverse physical, psychological, and social effects associated with APEDS use.
• Participants will be able to integrate medical, mental health, and substance use perspectives to create assessment and treatment protocols for their practice that support adolescents and young adults who use APEDS, focusing on holistic health, well-being, and harm reduction.

OPA employees, members, associates and affiliates can use discount code OPA20 to receive 20% off all upcoming programs (cannot be used in conjunction with other promotions/discounts).