Use of steroids not just limited to athlete girlsThe usage of steroids is not just limited to those girls involved in competitive athletics. According to a national survey published in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, steroid use in girls is also associated with a cluster of harmful behavior patterns such as diet pills and smoking.

Diane L. Elliot, M.D., of the Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, and colleagues made assessed anabolic steroids among young girls during a study that involved 7,544 female students in grades nine through 12 completing the survey.

From News-Medical.Net:

Adolescent girls reporting anabolic steroid use had significantly more other health-harming behaviors,” they continue. “They were much more likely to use other unhealthy substances, including past 30-day use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and cocaine.” Young female steroid users were also more likely to:

* have had sexual intercourse before age 13
* have been pregnant
* drink and drive or have ridden with a drinking driver
* carry a weapon
* have been in a fight on school property in the past year
* have feelings of sadness or hopelessness almost every day for at least two weeks
* have attempted suicide

More than two-thirds of the teen girls surveyed reported trying to change their weight. However, those who used steroids were more likely to turn to extreme weight-loss techniques, including vomiting and laxative use. “Anabolic steroids are body-shaping agents and cause a loss in body fat and an increase in lean tissue; therefore, their association with unhealthy weight loss practices was not surprising,” the authors write.

The study pointed out high-risk adolescent girls received less attention than adolescent boys suggesting that their actions are more destructive on a personal front.