The public health implications of anabolic androgenic steroid use

Online conference
10th November 2020

The Public health implications of AAS use online conference was held on 10th November 2020, with a total of 328 viewers. This represents the minimum number of unique viewers, as in some cases, multiple viewers will watch the same stream. Viewers were split between those using the a) conference platform (a total of 191 viewers) and the b) Youtube stream (a total of 137 viewers).

Data provided by the Global Public Health Network (https://gphnetwork.org/) illustrates good levels of conference engagement continued throughout the day on both viewing platforms:

a) Conference platform

b) YouTube stream

Following the conference, a short questionnaire was sent to all registered delegates. The survey focused on: how they heard about the conference, views on the conference both positive and negative and what they would like changed in subsequent conferences.

In total there were 48 responses to the questionnaire including 6 respondents who were unable to attend the conferences due to work commitments. This underlines the importance of recording the conference for people to watch online at their convenience.

1) How did they hear about the ASUK conference?

The most commonly cited method of hearing about the conference was through email from the conference organisers. Others found out about the conference from colleagues while others mentioned specific organisations who had promoted the conference e.g. Substance Misuse Management in General Practice (SMMGP), Human Enhancement Drug Network (HEDN) or via social media such as Facebook or Twitter.

2) What did they think of ASUK 2020?

In response to specific questions about the conference, delegates were overwhelmingly positive. The least positive response related to the time allocated for questions, with seven respondents specifying the need for more time to engage with speakers.

3) What did they like the most?

Responses were very positive and wide ranging, referring to:

The speakers
“The Knowledge of the speakers”
“Wide range of speakers”
“Quality of speakers”

The format
“The great online format where it was easy to write comments/questions etc.”
“The platform worked well, being able to see the chat and the schedule”
“Virtual event made it possible for me to attend – I found the fact it was virtual really useful.”

The organisation of the conference
“It was run very well, timings were clear and concise”
“How well run and organised it was”
“It all ran smoothly without any technical hiccups”

The content of the conference
“So many aspects from the clinical to sociological impact were really interesting and valuable…”
“I believe that the quality of the stuff being presented was really high”
“The array of topics covered”

4) What would they change?

Comments were constructive and were clustered in three main areas:

Preference for face-to-face conferences
“In person would have been better”
“Make it live and in the real world next time…”
“Well, obviously prefer to have it face to face but it was great even in this format”

More interactive
“Longer Q&A section”
“Possibly additional interactive elements can be integrated”
“More question time”

Increased input from communities of people who use AAS
“More voices from the community being involved”
“People using AAS may play a more prominent role in the program”

5) Ideas for next conference

Linked to what they would change, delegates provided a number of valuable suggestions for the conference. These suggestions included a variety of specific presenters from both research and AAS using communities. Suggested topics for inclusion were diverse, most commonly regarding treatment and support for those experiencing problems associated with AAS:
“Treatment”
“I would like there to be more on the topic of post cycle therapy.”
“Steroid addiction, and also on the relationship with body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders”

Additional topics included:
“Wider human enhancement drug use “
“Supply and demand using the internet and social media”
“More about the illicit market,”
“Anabolics and War – super soldiers”
“User trajectories and theories that help explain them”
“More social science research”
“What does onset, escalation and cessation (or reduction) amongst users typically look like, and what explains such changes in behaviour?”

We are grateful to all those who provided feedback on the conference and we will consider all the suggestions when preparing the next conference (provisionally planned for November 2022).

Meanwhile there will be a seminar based on the findings of the NIHR funded research on IPED use in the UK in November 2022.