Survey Reports Slight Increase in Steroid Use

The number of college athletes who say they use anabolic steroids increased by 1% over the past four years, but marijuana and cocaine use dropped, according to a national study released Monday.

The study for the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. also found that drinking went up slightly, while the use of smokeless tobacco increased by nearly 40%, from 20% in 1985 to 28% this year.

Of the nearly 2,300 athletes surveyed by Michigan State researchers, 5% reported using anabolic steroids, mainly football players, but also men and women participating in eight other sports.

William Anderson, Michigan State associate professor of medical education, said he was impressed with the drop of cocaine use--from 17% in 1985 to 5% this year--by the athletes and the decline in marijuana use from 36% to 28%.

Anderson said he couldn’t explain the dramatic increase in the use of smokeless tobacco, especially in baseball, with 57% of male players using it and 9% of women softball players doing the same.

The survey also found that 72% believe there’s a problem of illegal drug use by college athletes, and 65% favor testing of all college athletes.

Dr. Douglas McKeag and Anderson said they and their team of researchers had 2,282 athletes at 11 NCAA colleges and universities volunteer to fill out confidential questionnaires. In 1985, the number was 2,039.

Of those athletes, 1,552 were male and 730 were female.