Understanding and responding to anabolic steroid injecting and hepatitis C risk in Australia: A research agenda

Abstract

In recent years, several studies have suggested that the use of performance and image enhancing drugs via injection is increasing in Australia, with anabolic steroids appearing to be the most commonly used of these drugs. Traditionally the domain of elite athletes and recreational bodybuilders, steroid use may be extending to other groups, including adolescents, gym attendees, professionals and students. Like other forms of injecting drug use, steroid injecting can allow transmission of blood-borne viruses, especially hepatitis C, but little is known about how steroid injecting takes place and how such transmission might occur. Crucially, Australia’s existing harm reduction framework appears ill-equipped to deal with this emerging trend, and is underprepared to meet the challenges that it may pose. In this commentary, we outline key areas where more research into steroid use in Australia is needed. Improved understandings of the practices and experiences of individuals, who inject steroids, and the possibilities for targeted harm reduction responses, are needed if Australia is to respond to the increase in steroid use effectively.

• Australia
• harm reduction
• hepatitis C
• steroids

Declaration of interest

The National Drug Research Institute at Curtin University is supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Substance Misuse Prevention and Service Improvement Grants Fund. Suzanne Fraser is supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT120100215). Some of the background research for this paper was conducted as part of a national consultation into illicit steroid use in Australia. The National Drug Research Institute provided funding for the national consultation. The consultation report is available at: addictionconcepts.com.

Notes

¹Rates of HIV among people who inject drugs in Australia are considered to be “low” (The Kirby Institute, 2014).

²See: http://www.dch.org.au/our-services/alcohol-other-drugs (accessed: 12 February 2015). See also Aitken & Delalande (2002), for more detail on the establishment of the service.