Athletes Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids (ATLAS)
An Evidence-Based Practice
Description
Athletes Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids (ATLAS) is a drug prevention and health promotion program designed for male high school athletes. The ATLAS program addresses a variety of potential risk factors related to steroid use and substance abuse. These risk factors include social influences (such as peers, coaches, media), the perceived positive benefits of steroid use, misperceptions about the actual extent of steroid use among peers, lack of information about the negative effects of steroid use, and beliefs that one is not vulnerable to adverse effects.
The ten-week program initially was used with high school football players and currently is used with male athletes participating in a variety of sports. Within a team-based setting, coaching staff and peer leaders present the ATLAS curriculum using a hands-on, interactive approach. Program components include classroom-based educational sessions, weight-room exercise sessions, and an evening session for parents. Since ATLAS first was used, annual "booster" sessions have been added to help maintain early program gains and address risk factors not changed during the program's first year.
The ten-week program initially was used with high school football players and currently is used with male athletes participating in a variety of sports. Within a team-based setting, coaching staff and peer leaders present the ATLAS curriculum using a hands-on, interactive approach. Program components include classroom-based educational sessions, weight-room exercise sessions, and an evening session for parents. Since ATLAS first was used, annual "booster" sessions have been added to help maintain early program gains and address risk factors not changed during the program's first year.
Goal / Mission
The goal of ATLAS is to reduce anabolic steroid, alcohol, and other illicit drug use by adolescent male athletes.
Impact
Student participants of ATLAS had significantly lower intent to use anabolic steroids at both the end of the athletic season and at the 1-year follow-up. Students in the intervention also significantly reduced illicit drug use and were significantly less likely to report drinking and driving.
Results / Accomplishments
ATLAS was evaluated using an experimental control design, comparing the intervention group to a control group of students provided a commercially produced anti-anabolic steroid pamphlet. Students in ATLAS had significantly lower intent to use anabolic steroids at the end of the athletic season (p<0.05) and at the 1-year follow-up (p<0.03). Among ATLAS students, there were significantly fewer new anabolic steroid users at the end of the season (p<0.04), and 50% fewer new users at the follow-up, though this long-term difference did not achieve statistical significance (p=0.07). Students in the intervention significantly reduced illicit drug use, including alcohol, at the 1-year follow-up (p<0.05) and were significantly less likely to report drinking and driving (p=0.004). ATLAS participants also reported significantly less sport supplement use (p=0.009) and improved nutritional behaviors (p<0.02).
About this Promising Practice
Organization(s)
Oregon Health & Science University
Primary Contact
Health Promotion and Sports Medicine
Oregon Health & Science University
3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Mailcode: CR110
Portland, OR 97239-3098
503-418-4166
chpr@ohsu.edu
https://www.ohsu.edu/school-of-medicine/health-pro...
Oregon Health & Science University
3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Mailcode: CR110
Portland, OR 97239-3098
503-418-4166
chpr@ohsu.edu
https://www.ohsu.edu/school-of-medicine/health-pro...
Topics
Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
Health / Adolescent Health
Health / Adolescent Health
Organization(s)
Oregon Health & Science University
Source
Promising Practices Network
Date of publication
Apr 2000
Date of implementation
1994
Location
Portland, OR
For more details
Target Audience
Teens