Decoding unintentional doping: A complex systems analysis of supplement use in sport

Unintentional doping though supplement use is an ongoing issue that has severe professional and personal impacts on athletes. Though the issue is well known, there are key knowledge gaps regarding the role of different stakeholders both in creating and managing unintentional doping. The current study aimed to identify the influential tasks and stakeholders within the Australian sport system that are associated with supplements. A Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) was developed during a subject matter expert workshop (n = 12) to decompose the supplement use in sport ‘system’ into a hierarchical structure of goals, sub-goals, operations, and plans. A task network was developed during the SME workshop and based on the first level sub-goals of the HTA. Network analysis was then applied to determine the interdependency and influence of system tasks and stakeholders. Network metrics included Density, Out-degree centrality, In-degree centrality, Betweenness centrality, Closeness centrality, and Eigenvector centrality. In total, 15 first level sub-goals were identified which were further decomposed into 71 sub-goals and operations. The overall identified goal of athletes taking supplements was to optimise health, performance, recovery, image, and achieve optimal weight. Within this overall goal, numerous tasks are required to be performed including research, manufacturing and regulation of supplements, maintaining clean sport, to the administration of supplements by athletes, to subsequent assessments of their efficacy. The most influential tasks within the system include ‘maintaining clean sport’ by anti-doping authorities, and ‘marketing/advertising’ of supplements by supplement companies. Influential stakeholders within the system included ‘anti-doping agencies’, ‘athlete support personnel’, and ‘sponsors’. The analysis has demonstrated that multiple and varied stakeholders have specific roles to play in preventing unintentional doping. The findings suggest that for the prevention of unintentional doping through supplement use, interventions will need to shift away from the typical focus on athletes and athlete support personnel, to encompass a broader systemic focus.