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Chapter 9 - Bodybuilding, Exercise, and Image- and Performance-Enhancing Drug Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic

from Section 1 - From Exercise to Addiction: An Introduction to the Phenomenon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2023

By
Honor D. Townshend  and
Anna Tippett
Edited by
Ornella Corazza  and
Artemisa Rocha Dores
Ornella Corazza
Affiliation:
University of Hertfordshire and University of Trento, Italy
Artemisa Rocha Dores
Affiliation:
Polytechnic Institute of Porto and University of Porto, Portugal
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Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide government-enforced restrictions that were implemented to curb the spread of the virus affected many aspects of life, including exercise and fitness. This chapter draws upon netnographic research conducted early in the pandemic, which involved monitoring four open-access fitness forums to observe the real-time impact of the pandemic on fitness behaviours. Thematic content analyses were used to evaluate 115 forum threads. A significant impact on individuals’ body goals and motivation to use image- and performance-enhancing drugs (IPEDs) was observed, with many forum posters being unable to maintain their pre-pandemic exercise routines. Key thematic results included physical limitations to fitness, fitness routine adjustment and innovation, availability of and access to IPEDs, changes in motivation for using IPEDs, and misinformation about the relationship between IPED use and COVID-19. The chapter discusses these themes in the context of exercise and fitness-related behaviours during the initial months of the pandemic.

Keywords

COVID-19exercisefitnessforumsimage- and performance-enhancing drugsnetnography
Type
Chapter
Information
The Body in the Mind
Exercise Addiction, Body Image and the Use of Enhancement Drugs
 , pp. 137 - 144
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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