Anti-Doping Knowledge, Attitude, and Experience of General Practitioners in Kenya

Abstract

General practitioners’ function on the principles of health competence, strong work ethics, and compassion to improve the health of their patients. When dealing with athletes, additional knowledge in sports is required to comprehensively address their health needs without affecting the integrity of rules that govern fair play. General practitioners require sufficient doping knowledge to provide athletes with health needs consistent with anti-doping regulations. In Kenya, no studies have investigated or reported the doping knowledge, attitude, or experience of GPs, thus leaving a knowledge gap on their ability to treat competitive athletes harmonious with WADA requirements. Therefore, the study sought to unearth Kenyan general practitioners' doping knowledge, attitude, and experience. The study's findings have implications on doping knowledge, attitude, and experience of Kenya GPs essential to inform the current status of the concept. A cross-sectional analytical study design was selected because of its robustness in describing general practitioners' current doping knowledge, attitude, and experiences. Data was collected using a self-reported questionnaire where 250 general practitioners completed the survey. Findings revealed that Kenya general practitioners are well aware of doping regulatory agencies of WADA and ADAK. The findings demonstrated that GPs have average doping knowledge (47.77 ± 14.03) punctuated with limited knowledge of prohibited substances, methods, and substances in certain sports. Work experience significantly influenced GPs knowledge, F (4,245) = 10.852, p< .001. GPs had a negative doping attitude of 45.23 ± 13.64. As many as 22% (55) GPs received doping requests for the last 12 months, where 35.7% (89) of requests are about drugs to aid recovery. Anabolic steroids, corticosteroids, and peptide hormones were among the most sought-after PEDs. General Practitioners in Kenya have inadequate doping knowledge, which could limit their efficacy in treating professional athletes in line with WADA guidelines. Additional anti-doping training could benefit them address this limitation. Although GPs demonstrated a negative attitude, expanding their involvement through active participation in doping seminars, training, and programs can enhance their understanding of the doping concept necessary to develop and maintain a strong negative attitude.