New Projects

The research team has initiated a project examining various issues associated with drug use, addiction, the body and sport. As part of this program of research, a separate study (currently under review with a major national grant scheme) examines the rise of steroid injecting in Australia. It is well established that those who use steroids most often inject them, a practice associated with a range of very serious health problems including the risk of acquiring blood-borne viruses (BBVs) such as hepatitis B (HBV), C (HCV) and HIV. Although work has long been underway to contain BBV epidemics among other injecting drug cohorts, the emerging, mostly hidden, at-risk population of steroid injectors has been largely neglected, and Australia’s existing harm reduction framework is arguably not fully prepared to deal with this emerging trend. This qualitative study will explore the needs, motivations and experiences of people who inject steroids, exploring the possibilities for more effective and more targeted harm reduction responses.