Work

Attitudes, beliefs and knowledge related to doping among South American footballers in CONMEBOL competitions

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction: This article presents a descriptive exploratory cross-sectional study of South American soccer players participating in competitions organized by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). Objectives: The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between sociodemographic variables, knowledge and attitudes towards doping, and perfectionism in sports among male and female soccer players from field soccer, futsal, and beach soccer who participated in CONMEBOL competitions in 2023. Material and method: Three questionnaires were used to assess these factors in 614 professional athletes over the age of 18. Descriptive statistical methods were employed for data analysis, which was conducted in R environment using R Studio with the nmle, emmeans, and psych packages. The Cronbach’s alpha (α) coefficient was used to measure the reliability of the scales employed. Results: The average age of respondents was 24.2 ± 5.4 years. 92.8% (n = 614) reported having prior knowledge about antidoping. 6.8% admitted to having unintentionally consumed a prohibited substance or method, while 11.4% acknowledged doing so consciously. The Performance Enhancement Attitude Scale (PEAS) had an average score of 34.43 ± 0.55 among respondents, and the Perfectionism in Sports Scale (PSS) scored 71.2 ± 0.63. Conclusion: The various disciplines within soccer exhibit negative attitudes towards doping; however, those who admitted to consciously or inadvertently using prohibited substances and/or methods showed a tendency towards more positive attitudes than the overall average. The PSS scale indicated a high level of perfectionism among all respondents. The self-reported prevalence of prohibited substance use is higher than the Adverse Analytical Results reported by CONMEBOL’s Anti-Doping Unit.

Source: Archivos de medicina del deporte: revista de la Federación Española de Medicina del Deporte y de la Confederación Iberoamericana de Medicina del Deporte

DOI: 10.18176/archmeddeporte.00187

Authors: María Paula Bolgeri, Osvaldo Pangrazio, Francisco Forriol, Gabriela Gossen, Facundo Luna

Institution: National University of Mar del Plata

Language: English

Topic: Doping in Sports

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W4409439886