A Mediation Analysis of the ATHENA Intervention for Female Athletes: Prevention of Athletic-Enhancing Substance Use and Unhealthy Weight Loss Behaviors
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To explain, through mediation analyses, the mechanisms by which ATHENA (Athletes Targeting Healthy Exercise and Nutrition Alternatives), a primary prevention and health promotion intervention designed to deter unhealthy body shaping behaviors among female high school athletes, produced immediate changes in intentions for unhealthy weight loss and steroid/creatine use, and to examine the link to long-term follow-up intentions and behaviors. METHODS: In a randomized trial of 1668 athletes, intervention participants completed coach-led peer-facilitated sessions during their sport season. Participants provided pre-test, immediate post-test, and 9-month follow-up assessments. RESULTS: ATHENA decreased intentions for steroid/creatine use and intentions for unhealthy weight loss behaviors at post-test. These effects were most strongly mediated by social norms and self-efficacy for healthy eating. Low post-test intentions were maintained 9 months later and predicted subsequent behavior. CONCLUSIONS: ATHENA successfully modified mediators that in turn related to athletic-enhancing substance use and unhealthy weight loss practices. Mediation analyses aid in the understanding of health promotion interventions and inform program development.
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Ranby et al. included creatine with anabolic steroids in the same category when describing changes in a survey designed to determine the intention or knowledge of using performance enhancing substances.
“Ranby et al. (101) included creatine with anabolic steroids in the same category when describing changes in a survey designed to determine the intention or knowledge of using performance enhancing substances.”
From Safety of Creatine Supplementation in Active Adolescents and Youth: A Brief Review (2018) · cites this paper as [101]
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Mediation Analysis in Psychosomatic Medicine Research
Lockhart, G., MacKinnon, D. P., & Ohlrich, V. (2011) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/psy.0b013e318200a54b · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Self-citationSafety of Creatine Supplementation in Active Adolescents and Youth: A Brief Review
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- Authors
- Ranby, K. W., Aiken, L. S., MacKinnon, D. P., Elliot, D. L., Moe, E. L., McGinnis, W., & Goldberg, L.
- Affiliations
- Oregon Health & Science University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Pediatric Psychology
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2009-04-22
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1069-1083
- ISSN
- 0146-8693 (ISSN-L)
- 1465-735X
- PMC
- PMC2782253
- OpenAlex
- W2103592903
- Cited by
- 69
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 14.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Pediatric Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA07356, DA 09757, R01DA009757, R01DA007356)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Doping in Sports
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Keywords
- female high school athletes, anabolic steroid use, primary prevention, health promotion, social norms
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Basketball, Body Image, Creatine, Doping in Sports, Female, Health Education, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Models, Psychological, Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care, Peer Group, Soccer, Social Values, Sports, Steroids, Weight Loss, Self Efficacy, Volleyball, Athletic Performance
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