Asthma medication in athletes: a qualitative investigation of adherence, avoidance and misuse in competitive sport

Objectives:

The purpose of this qualitative study was to utilize the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation - Behavior model (COM-B) to: (1) evaluate athlete knowledge and understanding of current asthma-related anti-doping regulations, (2) explore the impact of environmental and societal influences on athletes with asthma, and (3) examine athlete perception of asthma medication use in competitive sport.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten competitive endurance athletes (five athletes with asthma and five without asthma). Interviews were guided by the COM-B model and transcripts were analyzed inductively and deductively using reflexive thematic analysis.Results: Mapping the experiences and perceptions of athletes against an established behavioral framework identified that: (1) athletes’ possess limited knowledge and understanding of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List and Therapeutic use exemption (TUE) policy with respect to asthma medication; (2) the use of sub-optimal diagnostic methods is commonplace and increases the risk of misdiagnosis and unnecessary inhaler therapy; (3) negative media portrayal of high-profile asthma-related doping allegations impacts public opinion and contributes to the perception of wrongdoing within the sporting community.Conclusion: The novel application of behavioral science highlights several factors that may contribute to asthma medication avoidance and promote misuse in competitive sport. The findings from this study provide a foundation for the development and implementation of targeted education programmes, and it is hoped that employing this approach will ultimately improve overall perceptions of asthma treatment in athletes, which is necessary to maintain respiratory health, optimize performance and protect the integrity of sport.