The use of anabolic steroids is on the increase among athletes as well as other segments of the population. Data from the "Monitoring the Future" study showed a significant increase from 1998 to 1999 in steroid abuse among middle school students. During the same year, there was a decline in the percentage of 12th graders who believed that taking steroids was a health risk. Steroid abusers who share needles or use non-sterile techniques for injecting steroids are at risk for contracting infections such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, and bacterial endocarditis. These and other effects of steroid abuse are discussed in this Research Report as well as the corresponding Community Drug Alert Bulletin. The objective is to keep communities up-to-date concerning the risks of abusing anabolic steroids and the science-based approaches to preventing and treating such abuse. (Contains 25 references.) (ADT)