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Resistance training, in particular, has become increasingly popular among men and women looking to maintain or improve their physical fitness during the pandemic. However, using Anabolic Steroids (AS) for performance enhancement in resistance training has known adverse effects. Thus, this study aimed to explore the prevalence of AS use among men and women resistance training practitioners after the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 3,603 resistance training practitioners (1,855 men and 1,748 women) in various geographical locations impacted by COVID-19. The participants were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires, which included questions regarding demographic information, training habits, and current or prior usage of AS. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software and the chi-square method, with a significance level of (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.05).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A total of 3603 men and women resistance training practitioners completed the survey. In the study, 53.05% of men and 41.99% of women used anabolic and androgenic steroids. Of those men who used steroids, 29.47% used Testosterone, while 31.20% of women used Winstrol. Additionally, 50.30% of men used steroids via injection, while 49.05% of women used them orally. According to the study, 49.99% of the participants had 6 to 12 months of experience with resistance training, and 64.25% of them underwent three training sessions per week. The analysis using the \u03c72 test did not reveal any significant difference between men and women in terms of duration of bodybuilding, frequency per week, and engagement in other activities.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study shows that a significant proportion of men and women resistance training practitioners used AS, particularly among young adults with limited training experience. Thus, there is a need for targeted education and awareness campaigns to address the hazards of AS use and promote healthy training habits during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-024-18292-5","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,13]],"date-time":"2024-03-13T14:01:27Z","timestamp":1710338487000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Exploring the prevalence of anabolic steroid use among men and women resistance training practitioners after the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"24","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8685-2471","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rastegar","family":"Hoseini","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7933-2221","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zahra","family":"Hoseini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,13]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"18292_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1046","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-023-15898-z","volume":"23","author":"HA Rahim","year":"2023","unstructured":"Rahim HA, Hoseini R, Hoseini Z, Abbas EN, Kareem DA. 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They provided informed consent to participate in the study and were informed that they could withdraw from the study at any time without any penalty. The confidentiality and anonymity of participants were maintained throughout the study, and the data collected were used for research purposes only. All research procedures were conducted in compliance with ethical principles as outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki, the applicable regulations, and the guidelines provided by the IRB\/IEC. The authors confirm that all methods were performed following relevant guidelines and regulations. All experimental protocols were approved by the ethics committee of Research in Public Sports Board, Kermanshah, Iran. Also, all educated participants and the legal guardian of illiterate participants were asked to complete the written informed consent at the beginning of the study.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"798"}}