A £40,000 study to find out why ex-service men and women use performance drugs and other supplements has been launched.

The year-long project will be carried out at the University of Sunderland and aims to identify the prevalence, motivations and mental health status of the region's ex-service personnel who use Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs and Supplements (PIEDS).

Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) has awarded a total of £42,357 to the university to conduct the study, which is supported by Finchale College in Durham.

Researchers will explore why ex-service personnel take body enhancing drugs, when they became users, whether that was pre, during or post-service, the processes involved, and the level of awareness users have of the consequences of PIEDS.

The university's Dr Ian Whyte will lead the project and the results will help inform the development of interventions and education programmes.

Previous or current histories of PIEDS users within the Criminal Justice System will also be investigated, as will any link between the use of body enhancement drugs and supplements with mental health and wellbeing of ex-service personnel.

Ray Lock, chief executive of the FiMT, said: “It is important to get a better understanding of the reasons why ex-service personnel take performance enhancing drugs and supplements and how and when they become users, particularly given the negative consequences of their use.

“This research is highly important as for many years there have been concerns about the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport, and more recently, those concerns have transferred to the wider population, particularly to enhance strength and body image.

“The Armed Forces as part of wider society are not immune to this problem, particularly given their need to be physically robust. We look forward to this research to help determine the degree, if any, of this problem amongst our ex-service personnel to ensure the appropriate support is in place.”

Dr Whyte said: “I am delighted to receive this research grant to take forward a project in such a developing and important topic. Working with the Forces in Mind Trust has already been exceptionally beneficial, both from a personal level as well as for the University of Sunderland."