INTRODUCTION AND AIM:
To
understand health service access and needs of people who use performance and
image enhancing drugs (PIED) in regional Queensland.
DESIGN AND METHODS:
Semi-structured
interviews were conducted with 21 people (n = 19 men) who reported the use of a
range of PIEDs, including anabolic-androgenic steroids, human chorionic
gonadotropin, growth hormone, clenbuterol, tamoxifen, insulin and peptides.
RESULTS:
Participants
reported accessing a range of services, including needle and syringe programs
and pharmacies, for sterile injecting equipment. While PIEDs users attributed
some stigma to needle and syringe programs, they were seen as an important
service for injecting equipment. Participants reported receiving either
positive care from health-care providers, such as general practitioners (GP),
or having negative experiences due to the stigma attached with PIED use. Few
participants reported disclosing their PIED use to their GP not only because of
the concerns that their GP would no longer see them but also because they felt
their GP was not knowledgeable about these substances.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION:
Participants
in the study reported no difficulty in accessing health services based on
living in a regional area, with their concern focused more upon how they were
viewed and treated by service staff.
- 1School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.
- 2National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
- 3Queensland Health, Brisbane, Australia.
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