Gender outcomes in using Brief Motivational Interventions (BMIs) on shaping beliefs and attitudes towards doping for athletes in secondary schools

Summary

The proposed research will elucidate the psychological factors influencing doping choices among athletes in secondary schools and how the students can be motivated to sustain aspects that help choose abstinence from dope. The overarching objective of the proposed project will be to implement a behavior change model to enable assessment of changes in psychosocial factors that influence decision making against use of dope.

Methodology

The study was conducted within 16 secondary schools within Elgeyo Marakwet and Uasin Gishu Counties of Kenya, which are well known hubs for athletic training activities and also home to most local, regional and international athletes from the country. 16 schools were involved in the study, each assigned to a control or experiment group for the quasi-experiment. The inclusion criterion was if the school had participated in sporting activities at local, national, or regional and international levels for the past five years. Secondary school athletes were included if they participated in a particular sporting activity and represented their schools in athletic competitions for their schools. Awareness and sensitization of anti-doping was conducted among the 16 schools in collaboration with the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK). A total of 16 secondary school games coaches and 498 secondary school athletes aged 15–20 years participated in the baseline and endline surveys through questionnaires and interviews.

Results

There was statistically significant relationship between the study intervention (brief motivational intervention) and the study objectives. There were significantly larger percentages of female secondary school athletes that increased their awareness of doping at the experiment group in comparison with the control group. However, no contextual, systemic and gender differences emerged in relation to the study intervention.

Significance for Clean Sport

The implementation of the main recommendations of this study could contribute significantly to clean sport:

Brief, learner-centered, participatory, and collaborative anti-doping educational programs are required for athletes in secondary schools. Appropriate tools, specific for this age-group, are required to bolster awareness and challenge faulty thinking patterns in order to increase their resiliency against doping.

A positive outcome in building awareness, skills and competent handling of anti-doping education among participating games coaches was a highlight for this study. This emphasizes the need for collaborative action for all stakeholders and a need for sustained effort in favor of positive behavior change against doping.