Analysis of findings

Question 1. Please indicate your gender.

86% of participants were male and 14% of participants were female.

Question 2. Please indicate your age group.

86% of participants were between the ages of 16 and 18. This was intentional in order
to ensure participants had the mental matureness and capability to answer the
questions effectively.

Question 3. Please indicate your level of exercise.

81% of participants only exercise between one and three time’s week. This suggests
that perhaps the participants were not the most active and their view on
supplementation may be skewed because of a lack of exposure in some individuals.

Question 4. Do you know what creatine is?

91% of participants understood what creatine is and had an understanding of what it is

used for as well as what its benefits and side effects are. These findings are in cohesion
with the research done by Robert Cooper et al. (2012), which suggests that people are
aware of creatine and its basic benefits and side effects even though they may lack an
in depth understanding.

Question 5. Do you think creatine supplementation is a danger to your health?

68% of participants answered “no” to this question while 23% answered yes and the
remainder were uncertain. This suggests that the majority of participants have the same
view as the research done by Rudy Mawer (2016), that creatine is in fact safe and has
minimal side effects, where some of the most severe cases are mild stomach cramps
according to Mawer (2016). This research supports the aims of the research in that it
suggests creatine is safe for young athletes to use.

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Question 6. Do you know anyone that uses creatine as a supplement?

68% of participants know someone who has used creatine as a supplement before,
indicating personal exposure to creatine supplementation and possibly greater exposure
to any other research on the supplement.

Question 7. Have you ever used creatine as a supplement?

59% of participants have used creatine as a supplement before, ensuring that there is a
majority of participants with first-hand experience in creatine supplementation.

Question 8.1. Do you think creatine supplementation benefits physical performance?

82% of participants answered “yes” to this question. This supports the research of
Robert Cooper et al. (2012) and Rudy Mawer (2016). Cooper et al. (2012) suggests that
performance increases because of increased Adenosine Tri-Phosphate molecule
production, which is the chemical compound responsible for energy within living cells,
although the participants may not be aware of the cause they are aware that creatine
increases performance, thereby supporting the literature. Some reasons supplied in
explanation of these findings were that creatine increases your strength, power, muscle
mass, endurance as well as energy. According to Cooper et al. (2012) creatine
increases energy, which in turn provides strength, power and endurance benefits as
well as the potential for an increase in muscle mass. This supports the aims of the
research to determine the extent of physical enhancement in young athletes due to
creatine supplementation.

Question 9.1. Do you think creatine supplementation can benefit athletes in areas other
than physical performance?

45% of participants replied “no” to this question, while 14% of participants were
uncertain. The results obtained in this question conflict with the studies done by Clare E.
Turner et al. (2015) which found conclusive evidence that creatine supplementation has
some neuro-protective and cognitive aiding functions. Most participants replied “no” to
this question for the reason that creatine is a sport supplement and therefore has no
benefits outside the sporting environment. However according to Turner et al. (2012)

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this is untrue and some participants supplied the correct reasoning stating that creatine
boosts mental performance, some participants had a none scientific but valid point that
creatine could have psychological benefits as it assists in the creation of a positive body
image. This suggests that creatine does have benefits besides physical performance
and supports the aim of determining what those benefits may be.

Question 10.1. Would you consider creatine supplementation to be a problem in a

competitive environment?

50% of participants answered “no” to this question while 50% answered “yes”. This
suggests that most participants are aware of the physical benefits creatine provides
because they are able to evaluate whether these benefits are providing athletes with
ana unfair advantage or not, as suggested by Rudy Mawer (2016) and Robert Cooper
et al. (2012). The participants against the banning of creatine believe it is a naturally
occurring supplement and it is therefore absolutely fair. Those that are for the banning
of creatine argue that it is a performance enhancer and is therefore giving users an
unfair advantage. While 50% of participants consider creatine a problem in the
competitive environment, only 33% agree with the banning of creatine supplementation.
This research supports the determination of the safety of creatine supplementation in
young individuals which is one of the research aims.

Question 12.1. Do you know of any health risks or disorders directly associated with
creatine supplementation?

55% of participants answered “no”, that there are no adverse side-effects associated
with the supplementation of creatine, supporting the studies done by Robert Cooper et
al. (2012) which state the only confirmed side-effect of creatine supplementation can be
gastro-intestinal irritation. Among some of the supposed health disorders and risks
mentioned by the other 45% of participants are, stomach damage, liver damage, kidney
damage, Cardiac damage, dehydration and muscle cramps. These are all contradicted
by the studies done by Rudy Mawer (2016) and Cooper et al. (2012), which suggest not
only are there no side-effects but there are many benefits while supplementing with
creatine. This suggests that many participants are misinformed and their determination
of the safety of creatine in young athletes is not accurate.

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Question 13. In your opinion are the health disorders you mentioned in question 12 a
common and unavoidable occurrence amongst individuals using creatine as a
supplement?

58% of participants answered “no” to this question coinciding with the findings of Robert
Cooper et al. (2012) which are that creatine is a safe supplement to use and there are
no reoccurring side effects for most individuals who make use of it. This suggests that
participants consider health risks to be an anomaly and therefore they support the
safety of creatine supplementation.

Question 14. Do you think it is safe for young athletes to use creatine as a supplement?

52% of participants think it is safe for young athletes to make use of creatine as a
supplement, supporting the research of Robert Cooper et al. (2012), indicating that most
participants have an understanding of what creatine is and its beneficial effects on the
body. Most participants suggested that it is a natural biochemical and is therefore safe,
provided it is used correctly. This allows for the determination of the extent of the
benefits of creatine supplementation in young athletes.

Question 15. Do you think creatine supplementation is as effective for all individuals?

67% of participants replied “no” to this question, indicating that most young athletes are
aware that different people respond differently to certain chemicals. Robert Cooper et
al. (2012) determined in their studies that when an individual is using creatine as a
supplement they can be grouped into three categories; responders, semi-responders
and non-responders. The general answer from participants was that the amount of
beneficial activity you receive from supplementation is due to how much you train and
how your body naturally reacts to an increase in this amino acid, in the blood. The
literature suggests that an individual’s reactive level is unpredictable and whether the
supplementation will work for an individual can only be determined by taking the
supplement. This research links to the aim of long and short term side effects of
creatine supplementation as it evaluates users from different responsive categories.

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