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Objectives:

To document the use of performance-enhancing substances (PES) by young athletes and to identify associated factors.

Design:

Retrospective survey.

Setting:

Self-reported anonymous questionnaire.

Participants:

Three thousand five hundred seventy-three athletes (mean age, 15.5 years) from Quebec provincial teams run by organizations recognized by the Government of Quebec.

Interventions:

All subjects filled out a validated questionnaire on factors associated with the use of and the intention to use PES.

Main Outcome Measures:

The use of and intention to use PES.

Results:

In the 12 months before filling out the questionnaire, 25.8% of respondents admitted having attempted to improve their athletic performance by using 1 or more of 15 substances that were entirely prohibited or restricted by the International Olympic Committee. Multiple regression analyses showed that behavioral intention (β= 0.34) was …