Eur J Anat, 11 (2): 89-94 (2007)

Body composition of individuals with heroin abuse problems

Pimentel Gonzalez M.

Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física Y el Deporte, Universidad de la Coruña, Spain; Asados Somoza 21, 15984 Rianxo, A Coruña, Spain

ABSTRACT Few studies have investigated the body composition of adults with substance abuse problems. The present study was prompted by this lack of information. Our aim was to compare the body composition of adults with heroin abuse with reference norms for the healthy population. The sample size of the participants with SA was 98 males (M age = 28.4, SD = 4.6). All of them were registered in four therapeutic communities for drug rehabilitation. The results of this study indicate that heroin addicts have a lower weight, body mass index, and fat percentage. However, further research is needed.

Keywords: diamorphine, article, body composition, body mass, controlled study, demography, drug dependence treatment, human, major clinical study, male, sample size, substance abuse