The School Nurse's Role in Prevention of Student Use of Performance-Enhancing Supplements

: An alarming trend in the United States is the use of performance‐enhancing supplements by children and adolescents. These widely available over‐the‐counter products, often marketed as natural substances, are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and are thus widely available. High scho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of school health 2006-05, Vol.76 (5), p.159-163
Main Authors: Garzon, Laurel S., Ewald, Rebecca E., Rutledge, Carolyn M., Meadows, Teresa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescents
Child
Children
Dietary Supplements - adverse effects
Dietary Supplements - utilization
Drug prevention
Drug Use
Drugs & sports
Ethics
Health Behavior
Health Education
Health Promotion - methods
Health Promotion - organization & administration
High Risk Students
Humans
Middle School Students
Nonprescription drugs
Nurse's Role
Nurses
Nursing
Physical Fitness
Prevention
School Nurses
School safety
Sports
Staff Role
Steroids
Task Performance and Analysis
United States
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Summary:: An alarming trend in the United States is the use of performance‐enhancing supplements by children and adolescents. These widely available over‐the‐counter products, often marketed as natural substances, are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and are thus widely available. High school and even middle school students are using these supplements because they are misled into thinking that supplements will enhance their athletic skills resulting in an improvement in their performance. Yet, the safety and long‐term effects of these supplements have not been established in reputable or prevalent studies. School nurses have a unique opportunity and even an ethical responsibility to help in efforts to address this growing trend. Specific roles for the school nurse include serving as a student advocate for the health and safety of children and adolescents; identifying at‐risk students; forming partnerships with teachers, parents, students, coaches, athletic trainers, and local health care providers; evaluating and refining health‐oriented curricula; collecting and disseminating new knowledge; and staying abreast of new findings. (J Sch Health. 2006;76(5):159‐163)
ISSN:0022-4391
1746-1561
DOI:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2006.00088.x