In force Publication date 01 Mar 24
Cultivating clean sport environment with athlete support personnel (ASP): Study on knowledge, perception and practice of ASP and educational programme
Project description
Summary:
This study aims to identify and address the gap of knowledge in the ASP's knowledge, perception and practice related to doping among budding athletes in South East Asia countries. It provides a response to the questions:
- What is the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of athlete support personnel among young budding athletes in national sports schools in Southeast Asian countries?
- How does exposure to educational materials and awareness programs affect the knowledge and attitudes of athlete support personnel (ASP) on doping in sports?
Methodology
ASP from forty-six sports schools and youth training programme were invited to participate in the study. These institutions were chosen due to their active participation in national and international sports events or suggested by the MCR of the respective National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs). The pre-interventional ASP’ knowledge, attitude, and practice on doping in sports were determined by using self-administered questionnaire.
A total of 596 support personnel from the invited Southeast Asia Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (SEARADO) member countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam) completed the questionnaire.
The survey comprised of four sections. Section A consists of questions which ask about respondent’s basic demographic characteristics including age, gender, educational level, types of sport-related profession and years of practice in current supporting role etc. Section B of the questionnaire asks about the ASP knowledge on doping. The topic area covered in the questionnaire included prohibited substances and methods, roles of WADA and ASP, anti-doping rules violation, official national anti-doping agency, therapeutic-use exemption, and athlete biological passport. Section B was also tailored to the respective roles for the healthcare professionals (HCP) and the non-HCP as the depth of the information they need to deliver to the athletes differ. Section C measures the attitude of ASP on doping by using the performance enhancing attitude scale (PEAS) In the last section, section D, respondents were asked on their practice and experience on anti-doping activities. This section allowed us to estimate how frequently they received enquiries from young athletes on medication and supplements use in sports, and their past experiences in doping in sports training.
The respondents who answered the survey form in Phase 1 were then invited to participate in an online anti-doping educational course designed and developed by the research team using Health Promotion Model (HPM), Transtheoretical Model (TTM) and the World Anti-Doping Agency International Standard for Education. The online course comprised four main topics: 1) an overview of anti-doping initiatives; 2) medication and supplement use in sports, and Therapeutic Use Exemption; 3) misuse of prohibited substances in sports and its implications; and 4) detection of prohibited substances. After completing all the published materials, participants were required to complete a feedback form and post-interventional questionnaire to receive an e-certificate.
Results
We found that the athlete support personnel had a poor to moderate level of knowledge about doping in sports. Most of the respondents were aware of the definition of doping violations but were unclear about their exact roles as athlete support personnel. As most of the respondents were non-healthcare professionals, their ability to identify prohibited substances in sports was relatively poor. Nevertheless, the respondents generally had a negative attitude towards doping behavior. Most of them disagreed that doping is necessary and unavoidable in competitive sports. Additionally, the respondents reported that they encourage athletes to be good role models in anti-doping but rarely publicly support anti-doping initiatives. Most of the athlete support personnel have experience advising athletes regarding medication and supplement use in sports, but only 11.8% of them regularly updated their knowledge on doping in sports, and only 41.4% had attended courses on anti-doping before.
Of the 596 respondents who participated in the pre-interventional survey, all were provided with the link to participate in the online course. We also received email inquiries about participating from the publicity by NADOs on their respective official pages, bringing the total to 620 pre-registered participants. However, despite these efforts, only 20 ASP accessed the online platform, with just 12 successfully completing the course. Additionally, despite 288 community pharmacists expressing interest in the course and signing up, only 61 logged into the online platform, and a mere 22 completed the course.
Although the course publicity reached 908 ASP and pharmacists, only 81 (8.9%) logged in, and 34 of them (42%) completed the course. Despite the extremely low completion rate, the median knowledge score of the respondents showed a significant increase from 20 to 25 after completing the online course, indicating that the respondents generally achieved better scores on the knowledge-based questions. Furthermore, following the intervention, the participants were found to have a lower median PEAS score of 13, compared to the pre-intervention score of 18.
Significance for Clean Sport
The study provides an empirical basis for understanding the potential knowledge gaps of ASPs in the Southeast Asian region regarding anti-doping, as well as their attitudes and experiences related to anti-doping. The study suggests that improving the poor to moderate knowledge level and attitudes of ASPs towards anti-doping could promote and reinforce the values of doping-free sports among the young athletes under their care. The cognitive and affective approach to anti-doping education should be considered by NADOs as a core concept when administering anti-doping education, as critical thinking and problem-based learning are effective in shaping and cultivating anti-doping behavior.
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