04.28.2005:" American girls turn to steroids in hunt for movie-star looks"

from thehearld April 27,2005:

 American girls turn to steroids in hunt for movie-star looks LINDA A JOHNSON, Trenton April 27 2005 An alarming number of American girls, some as young as nine, are using bodybuilding steroids – not necessarily to get an edge on the playing field, but to get the toned, sculpted look of models and movie stars, experts say.
Girls are getting their hands on dangerous testosterone pills, shots and creams which have created a scandal in America's major league baseball and other sports. Often, they are the same girls with eating disorders, according to research.
Charles Yesalis, a professor of health and human development at Pennsylvania State University, said: "There's been a substantial increase for girls during the 1990s, and it's at an all-time high right now."
Overall, up to about 5% of high school girls and 7% of middle-school girls admit trying anabolic steroids at least once, with their use rising steadily since 1991, various government and university studies have shown.
Researchers say that most girls are using steroids to get bigger and stronger on the playing field, and attribute some of the increase in use to girls' rising participation in sports.
However, plenty of other girls are using steroids to give themselves a slightly muscular look.
The sports medicine division at Oregon Health and Science University found two-thirds of Oregon high school girls who admitted using steroids were not athletes and that girls who were considering taking steroids had tried other, risky ways to get thin.
"They were more likely to have eating disorders and to abuse diuretics, amphetamines and laxatives," said Dr Linn Goldberg, division head. AP