ArticleMalawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi2022
Prevalence of performance enhancing substance use among elite football players in two super league teams in Blantyre, Malawi.
Article in Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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1 citing paper in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Substance Use in Sports: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Professional Footballers in Accra, Ghana.Health science reports · 2026Article
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5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Use of performance enhancing substances (PES) is common among athletes with a worldwide prevalence ranging from 5% to 31%. There has been little knowledge of PES use in African athletes with no available data for Malawian football players. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of PESs use among elite football players in two super league teams in Blantyre, Malawi. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in two super league football teams in Blantyre, Malawi. A modified standard questionnaire obtained from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Social science research package was administered to collect data from a convenient sample of 43 elite football players on the characteristics of participants, prevalence of PESs use and reasons for using PES. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. Results: Out of 86 eligible football players, 43 with a mean age of 24 ± 4 years participated in the study. Many players (60%) had secondary education as their highest level of education and most players (86%) had played football for more than five years. Out of 43 participants, 39 (91%) had been using PESs while four (9%) had never used PESs. Out of 13 substances, caffeine (77%), herbal products (40%), and energy bars (40%) were the commonly used PESs while cocaine (2%) was the least used substance among the players. Improving performance was the most common reason (81%) why participants were using PESs followed by increase in lean body mass (35%). Conclusion: The prevalence of PESs use among elite football players in two super league teams in Blantyre, Malawi is high. The most used PES are caffeine, herbal products and energy bars. Participants mainly use PESs for improved performance in football. Therefore, awareness among elite football athletes and stakeholders on adverse health effects of PES use should be promoted.
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