Dissertation Writing Help - The use of illegal ergogenic aids and creatine by female senior high school athletes attending four large suburban schools: implications for school leaders

I need a Custom Dissertation Writing Service on "The use of illegal ergogenic aids and creatine by female senior high school athletes attending four large suburban schools: implications for school leaders"

There require to be an acceptance on the part of school administrators that utilization of harmful ergogenic aids by student athletes is both a very real health problem as well as one that is on the rise. A further examination of the issue is necessary to regulate the motivations for the use of the substances in question. Schools habitually the sponsoring agent and driving force behind adolescent athletics, sustain a unique ownership of the issue of ergogenic aid use and must do their part to reduce and ultimately stop the use of harmful ergogenic aids by adolescent athletes.

Four distinct strands of literature support this study- Historical perspective, harmful ergogenic substances- use and effects, female athletes' use of harmful sport enhancement substances, and school administrative efforts regarding sport enhancement substances. I state five research questions- 1) At what rate do female secondary level athletes use harmful sport enhancement substances? 2) What are the motivating factors for harmful sport enhancement substance usage by female high school athletes? 3) To what degree are female athletes willing to take harmful sport enhancement substances? 4) What interventions, if any, are school administrators making to prevent the use of sport enhancement substances? 5) To what degree are school administrators aware of the motivating factors for and usage rates of female athletes using sport enhancement substances?

The study was piloted in four large suburban high schools. A survey was managed to 1476 female athletes. Additionally four small emphasis group interviews with 8 female athletes in each were directed in each school and 20 administrative and school personnel were interviewed.

Certain of the athletes in the survey believed that other female athletes in their schools were using harmful ergogenic aids. A total of 77/136 (56%) of the female athletes indicated at least 2% of the female athletes in their school used creatine at least once or twice a week. A total of 79/136 (58%) of the female athletes designated at least 1% of the female athletes in their school used illegal ergogenic aids at least once per week.

The findings revealed the subsidizing factors to ergogenic aids use included- student risk taking behavior, pressure to win, college scholarships, and influence of peers. Precisely, club sports, family, students felt pressure from coaches and pressure to attin fame and notoriety. Inhibiting factors to ergogenic aid use included- health risks, muscle bulk, fear of getting caught and a sense of fair play. Interventions taken by administrators included- coaching interventions, policy interventions, athletic orientations and education of parents.

Implications for practice as well as future study included five specific categories- the need for school administrators' consciousness of the use of harmful ergogenic aids by adolescent athletes; administrative awareness of the necessity for intervention regarding perceived pressure on athletes by school personnel the need to conduct effective education in the school setting about the dangers of harmful ergogenic aids and a need to educate and influence external forces that play a part in influencing athletes such as parents, club sports and college representatives.