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Physicians Concerned About Effects of Performance Enhancing Drugs

Posted on: Tuesday, 22 August 2006, 21:00 CDT

Results from a new national survey of 758 physicians indicated that an overwhelming majority (87%) would support laws that provide random drug testing of high school student athletes for performance enhancing drugs.

The national survey was conducted by HCD Research and Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion (MCIPO) during August 16-17, in response to recent media reports of world-class athletes that have tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.

Among the findings:

-- A strong majority of physicians (88%) reported that they are worried about performance enhancing drugs effect on the athletic community.

-- More than half of physicians (63%) indicated that they do not believe they have treated a patient who was using legally-obtainable performance enhancing drugs, while one-third (37%) believe they have treated patients who were using performance enhancing drugs.

-- 87% of physicians indicated that they would support laws that provide random drug testing of high school student athletes for performance enhancing drugs during the scheduled season for which they participate in a sport.

-- Among a list of performance enhancing drugs, the majority of physicians (71%) indicated that anabolic steroids posed the greatest risk to the athletic community, followed by "human growth hormones" (10.6%) and "stimulants" (10%).

-- A majority of physicians (70%) also reported that anabolic steroids pose the greatest risk to the individual athletes who take them.

Editors/Reporters: For more information on the poll, or to speak with Glenn Kessler, co-founder and managing partner, HCD Research or Christopher Borick, Ph.D., director of the MCIPO, please contact Vince McGourty, M&M Communications, Inc., at (908)638-5555 or (vinmcg@earthlink.net).

HCD Research is a marketing and communications research company headquartered in Flemington, NJ. The company's services include traditional and web-based marketing and communications research. HCD Research is also the developer of hcdhealth.com, a web site for health care professionals. For additional information on HCD Research, access the company's web site at www.hcdi.net or call HCD Research at 908-788-9393. Headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, MCIPO is a respected source of public opinion data on local, state and national issues.

Source: Business Wire

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