Web Base Learning Risks of Using Performance Enhancing Supplements and Steroids - Thesis Proposal Example

WEB BASE LEARNING RISKS OF USING PERFORMANCE ENHANCING SUPPLEMENTS AND STEROIDS Contents Introduction 2 ment of the Problem 3 Significance of the Project 4 Literature Review 5 History of dietary supplements 5 Dietary Performance Enhancing Supplements and Steroids Products on the Market 6 Side Effects and Deaths Attributed to Misuse and Abuse of Performance Enhancing Supplements and Steroids 7 Methods 8 Project Description 8 Chapter 1 Introduction Dietary supplements are a form of performance enhancing substances that sportspersons ingest aiming to increase their strength, speed or increase their endurance rate depending on the type of substance they choose (ODS 2014). Today, athletes can access different types of performance enhancing substances sold in pharmacies, chemists, drug shops and on the streets. However, not all of these supplements are legal in the different sports as the boards overseeing all competitions choose the acceptable and unacceptable dietary supplements. The most common performance enhancing substances include; anabolic steroids, creatine, diuretics, protein and amino acid supplements and the widely accessible stimulants such as caffeine and amphetamines. Generally, the aim of most people who consume the dietary supplements is boosting their ability at a certain sport by increasing the strength or body size through substances such as human growth hormone. The number of athletes caught using performance enhancing supplements and steroids has increased over the years; moreover, the use of these substances has also become popular in body building activities especially for the youth (USADA 2014). Significantly, the main reasons behind the increased use of performance enhancing substances are the fame that comes with testing positive, their vast market and the lack of well-efficient testing systems. For instance, some athletes will use these substances a long period before the competitions such that by the time they compete there are no traces of it in their systems; furthermore, once they test positive, they can easily bribe their way out of facing the set consequences. However, the use of performance enhancing substances is so popular that people start to raise speculations every time an athlete does exceedingly well at a certain sport. In fact, the first substance that comes to the mind of most people is steroids since they are the most common and have cosmic effects on an athlete’s performance. Unfortunately, most of these speculations bear high depths of accuracy since using them has become a culture, particularly for student athletes in colleges and high schools (Hoffman 2008). Definitely, to some extent the use of the supplements and steroids has improved the quality entertainment since athletes are more vigorous and productive but it has surely lowered the significance of sportsmanship. Decisively, the use of performance enhancing drugs is pervasive in almost all sports especially for athletes that engage in national, transnational and international competitions hence becoming a topic of discussion in the society with most people having the urge to gather more information about steroids, stimulants and other substances. Currently, Europe and America has the biggest and developing markets of performance enhancing substances; in fact, they supply the different supplements to athletes around the globe, especially from countries that prohibit their use (Scott 2008). Some of the suppliers and manufacturers market their products as dietary supplements but once the athletes ingest them they become illegal steroids. Statement of the Problem The purpose of this proposal is creating a web-based learning curriculum for athletes who feel the urge to use performance enhancing dietary supplements even with the horrifying crises in the past where forensics and other medical practitioners linked the deaths of a number of athletes to the abuse of supplements or mixing dosages with other prescribed medications. The goal is focusing one of the most overlooked factors of the performance enhancement supplements’ culture; their adverse side effects and cons that most people avoiding discussing or stating these factors at all. Significance of the Project The internet has many uses particularly as a platform for acquiring information depending on the field of study; however, recent advancements have made it possible for educational institutions to use it in delivering programs inform of online learning. Web based learning is very efficient today for professors and scholars as a platform for edification and communication (Jollie 2003). Generally, there is not much to the history of web-based learning but the subject has acknowledgeable developments that incorporate communication and education technology to make distant learning more efficient. The Open University in Britain was among the first initiators of distance and open learning for a number of courses that were accessible for people that did not meet the customary credentials or lacked sufficient time to attend fulltime classes. Over the years, the Open University among other universities has had multiple advancements in the area hence creating a completely new experience of web-based learning that entails e-books, course guides, videos, audiotapes and even online discussion forums. However, other universities’ sites under web-based learning provide static pages that entail course notes and live lectures that the scholars can go through regularly. Web based learning is now popular in universities around globe due to a few contributing factors that are favorable for the students and the institutions. Under web-based learning, performance information is easily accessible, students can frequently perform self-assessments, geographical location is not an issue and it offers a platform for professors and lecturers to link multiple formats of information (Jollie 2003). Definitely, with these popularity and effectiveness of web-based learning, the curriculum will be more effectual for athletes who use or intend on using any dietary supplements. Chapter 2 Literature Review History of dietary supplements The history of dietary supplements is not that vast and one can only trace the use of performance enhancing substances to the origins of the civilized man who used herbs and animal glands as medication. However, it is still unclear whether the use of such substances is under dietary substance but the United States has a relative shorter history on this subject. Nonetheless, since the introduction of dietary supplements the world has had multiple advancements in the area and wide section of the cons of using most of these supplements (Kimpel 2000). The Asians have had a series of drugs and herbs such as Aspirin and Digoxin that formed an international platform for them to indulge more in the production of dietary supplements. Assertively, even with the shorter history the use of dietary supplements is most prevalent in the United States today than any other country. However, on an international scope, the use of anabolic steroids and other dietary substances such as creatine attracts a lot of attention especially from governments, sports organizations and healthcare associations. Relatively, in 1990, the United States government, in conjunction with other organizations introduced the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act as a regulation for the abuse and misuse of the dietary supplements (Harvey 2005). However, the Food and Drug Administration still held the power of approving the supplements that would surface the market (FDA 2015). Unfortunately, the use of dietary substances became even popular with the market having multiple harmful substances with harsh side effects; all the same, there was no way to stop their use so in 1994, they passed another law prompting the manufacturers to include their supplements’ components. Up to now, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act is still in place but the use, misuse and abuse of these substances is popular than ever before in most parts of the world. Dietary Performance Enhancing Supplements and Steroids Products on the Market Today, the performance enhancing supplements and steroid’s market has many legal and illegal products but the most common and easily accessible are anabolic agents, stimulants and cannabinoids that athletes around the world use (Bee 2008). Typically, anabolic agents enhance performance by affecting an athlete’s testosterone and hormone attributes, with the most common being the steroids. After ingestion, anabolic agents augment protein synthesis in the human body, which obviously increase the rate at which muscles grow. However, due its concentration on hormonal impact, steroids also affect the masculinity of athletes and after some time they experience the growth of fur and vocal cords. Naturally, almost all states in the world prohibit the use of anabolic agents whether it is for competition or not. Stimulants are also common performance enhancing supplements because of their accessibility and fast effects on the human body. The most prevalent stimulants are c and cocaine that easily augment one’s attention span, decrease weariness, intensifies their ability to compete through aggression (Werner 2013). Nonetheless, most states also prohibit stimulants in any form of competition but people still abuse them as non-prescribed drugs. Cannabinoids are product substances from the popular cannabis plant also known as marijuana. Cannabinoids are not like other performance enhancing substances because they do not augment the growth, strength or aggression in athletes; instead, they give them a feeling of ecstasy and relaxation (Orchard 2006). All the same, they are still illegal in all competitions and could easily lead to the sanction of athletes. In some countries such as Australia, there are increased cases of counterfeit, illegal or unapproved substances with multiple athletes dying immediately after ingestion (ODS 2014). Evidently, there are other performance enhancing substances in the market like melanotan but the most common and approved supplements are not for use by athletes in competitions. Side Effects and Deaths Attributed to Misuse and Abuse of Performance Enhancing Supplements and Steroids Every performance enhancing supplement or dietary supplement has its side effects and some of them depend on individual attributes of the people who use them. Relatively, the more efficient a certain substance is, the more likely it will have increased side effects. Steroids lead the rankings of side effects particularly because it affects the hormones and testosterones but most of them are also common for other performance enhancing substances (Mangan 2011). Upon ingesting steroids, a person experiences aggression and temperament issues, augmented blood pressure and cholesterol levels, loss of hair, problems with the liver and has a high chance of getting tumors or infections such as Hepatitis. In most cases, the skin complexion also changes, testicles shrink and men tend to grow breasts. Before starting to feel aggression or engage in violent behavior, people who use steroids experience a significant period of mild depression and do irrational things (USADA 2014). Significantly, other supplements that most people claim to be better and less harmful than steroids such as creatine damage the human body’s essential organs such as the liver, kidney or heart especially if ingested for a long period. The different organs fail after digesting large amounts of these substances, which might lead to death of an athlete eventually. Relative to individual attributes some of the also cause nausea, stomach upsets, vomiting, diarrhea, increased risk of blood clots and allergic reactions. Typically, most of these side effects are crucial to the body and despite the increased athletic performance of the dissimilar supplements end effect is death or life-long morbidity Chapter 3 Methods This chapter provides an in-depth elaboration of the web-based learning program for athletes on the risks of using performance-enhancing supplements and sections that will form the basis for the content that the site will contain. Project Description The web-based learning curriculum will be efficient for athletes in schools and other interested parties, particularly adolescents and teens. Moreover, the teachers, parents and guardians will also receive information on the same and use it to guide the youth. Assertively, the curriculum will entail information relative to sensitive subjects such as: i. Common Misuses and Abuse of Performance Enhancing Drugs and Supplements Among the most prevalent misuses and abuse of performance enhancing drugs is that of the athletes who ingest substances that will increase their strength, speed and ability to persevere as a way of winning competitions. The competition frenzy among the youths and adolescents prompts them to ingest such substances and it has become a popular act with most students in colleges and schools testing positive. However, with the multiple advancements in the field, the youth are abusing and misusing supplements as part of their body building practices; typically, they want fast results and the only way to do this is ingest substances that help in trimming fat, increasing muscle growth rate among others. However, the key facilitator of misusing and abusing these substances is their accessibility. Today, all types of performance enhancing supplements are available over the counter and sold by people with no experience with them; in fact, their only aim is gaining financial profits from their business. On the other, the FDA does not prohibit their purchase; the only role they play is making sure that the manufacturers follow the right protocols; their purity is not in question. ii. Use and the Growth of Dietary Performance of Enhancing Supplements/ Steroids Usage among Teens and Adolescent Athletes Today, almost 90% of the youth, teenagers and adolescents in the United States know about at least one performance-enhancing supplement, which is a depiction of how prevalent the substances are today even around the world. Definitely, the use of these substances to enhance the productivity in sports and for the body images is also popular among teens and adolescent athletes especially with advancements in information technology where they acquire vast knowledge about enhancing body performance. Additionally, the production, marketing and promotion of supplements have grown over a short period and one has a better chance of accessing them than their information. However, the growth and use of the supplements by adult athletes continues to attract the attention of adolescents and teens to a point of attracting concern from parents, teachers, doctors and related organizations such as FDA. The supplements have augmented side effects on this age group because some of them such as steroids are excessively powerful for their body systems. Consequentially, the young athletes experience long-term effects and mortalities after their first ingestion. Resolutely, due to the increased usage of the performance enhancing supplements, critics challenge healthcare professionals and parents to educate their children on this subject, especially the adolescent patients that visit the hospitals experiencing different side effects. Essentially, some of the supplements are efficient for some athletes but some a study in 2014 raised a question on whether efficacy and safety in competitive or non-competitive teens and adolescent athletes because most of them use them out of magazines, videos, peers etc. instead of the necessary procedures such as a prescription from the physician. iii. FDA Views on Dietary Supplements The Food and Drug Administration has a lot of authority on production, sales and consumption of drugs but there are limitations to this power when it comes to dietary supplements. The FDA can only approve the safety of a dietary supplement once it is already in the market but they have no authority of restricting its sale or consumption before it reaches the consumers. However, it is an obligation of the manufacturers and producers to submit resounding evidence to FDA on its safety and efficiency before making any sales or supplies in the drugs’ markets. Additionally, the FDA requires the manufactures to label their supplements truthfully; otherwise, they face consequences such as having their products removed from the market. Misbranded and adulterated dietary supplements or ingredients are also illegal and the FDA discourages their purchase or consumption. Moreover, it is a requirement for manufacturers and suppliers to make sure that they fall the set regulations by the FDA or DSHEA as an evaluation of comprehensive safety. Typically, the FDA encourages people to report illegal sales of misbranded and adulterated dietary supplements since they have some of the most critical side effects; moreover, it shows that they have not gone through the necessary medical producers in accordance to the association’s laws and regulations. References Bee, P. (2008) Legal Performance Enhancing Substances Athletes are Allowed to Use: Drug Use in Sports, Retrieved on 26 February 2015, from http://sportsanddrugs.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001204 Harvey, J. (2005) Use of Dietary Supplements and Hormones in Adolescents: Pediatric Child Health, Retrieved on 26 February 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722611/ Hoffman, J (2008) Do Teens Use Drugs to Emulate Their Professional Athlete Role Models: Drugs Use in Sports, Retrieved on 26 February 2015, from http://sportsanddrugs.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001240 Jollie, C (2003) Web Based Learning: Journal List, NCBI, Retrieved on 26 February 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1125774/ Kimpel, K. (2000) ‘History of Dietary Supplements’, Retrieved on 26 February 2015, from http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/spring2000/kimpel/history.html Mangan, T (2011) Effects of Performance Enhancing Drugs: Live Strong, Retrieved on 26 February 2015, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/88372-effects-performance-enhancing-drugs/ Office of Dietary Supplements (2014) Dietary Supplements: National Institutes of Health, Retrieved on 26 February 2015, from http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/DietarySupplements-HealthProfessional/ Orchard, J (2006) Use and Misuse of Performance Enhancing Substances in Sports: Medical Journal of Australia, Retrieved on 26 February 2015, from https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2006/184/3/4-use-and-misuse-performance-enhancing-substances-sport Scott, M (2008) Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports: Delta College, Retrieved on 26th February 2015, from http://www.deltacollege.edu/org/deltawinds/DWOnline08/theuseofperformance.html US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) (2014) Effects of PED: True sport, Retrieved on 26th February 2015, from http://www.usada.org/substances/effects-of-performance-enhancing-drugs/ US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (2015) Dietary Supplements: US Department of Health and Human Services, Retrieved on 26 February 2015, from http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/ Werner, P (2013) Research Roundup on Performance Enhancing Drugs in Athletics: Journalist Resource, Retrieved on 26 February 2015, from http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/culture/athletic-academic-performance-enhancing-drugs-research-roundup# Read More