The growth in steroid use in the UK is mirrored in the US and Canada, where use among high school athletes is at an all-time high as students strive to become bigger, faster and stronger. More than 500,000 American children are estimated to have used the drugs, and use by teenage girls has doubled during the 1990s.
The Glamorgan study found that 58 percent of people questioned at three gyms in the mid-Glamorgan area admitted using steroids, some of them as young as 15.
Julian Baker, one of the researchers, said: "We did not go looking for steroid use. We just took a cross-section of the gyms in the area and this is what we found. One of the most worrying aspects is the increasing number of teenagers who are getting involved. Once the pits and the mines closed down men had to redefine themselves and one way of doing this was to get into body building -- and often that can lead to steroids."
The Guardian has discovered that the use of steroids is spreading from the gym to the playground. At Porth county school in Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales, staff have caught young teenagers using steroids and, on one occasion, found steroids on the school premises.
Steve Bowden, the headteacher, said: "It is becoming more apparent now. It seems to come from a macho gym culture. The boys who are taking the drugs are not top sportsmen, they are just looking for respect in their communities."
Robert, a body builder from mid-Glamorgan who has been using steroids for a decade, agreed that the users were getting younger.
"There are a lot of younger lads getting involved with steroids at the gyms round here now," he said. "They come in and train for a few weeks then start using and it is no good for them because they haven't got the core strength to start with."
The users may have changed but gyms remain central to the use and supply of steroids. Visit any hardcore gym and you will find a room echoing to the clank of heavy weights and the grunts of effort from the men who lift them.
The culture of such gyms, where bicep curls with 25kg weights are routine and being able to lift your own bodyweight above your head unremarkable, is macho, intimidating, and highly competitive. Fed by vanity and competition, the desire for ever greater muscle mass and definition can be met by steroids.
Many gyms operate a strict no-drugs policy, but there are others where steroids are available over the counter at prices ranging from US$130 to US$400 for an eight-week course.
One source with knowledge of such gyms said: "You walk in and you wonder whether you will be walking out again. It can get pretty hairy, particularly with big guys around."
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