Anette Skilbred

• Skilbred, Anette; Strandbu, Åse & Loland, Sigmund (2024). Youth athletes’ framing of nutritional supplements: Performance enhancement and food. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. ISSN 1012-6902. 60(1), s. 45–63. doi: 10.1177/10126902241260923. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Prior studies have revealed how some nutritional supplements used to enhance performance in sports are considered problematic because they are associated with doping. In this study, frame analysis is applied to scrutinise interviews conducted with 24 ambitious youth athletes enrolled in elite sport schools. The analysis enables exploration of the athletes’ understanding and meaning-making concerning the so-called grey zone supplements in terms of two major frames. The first performance frame is expected as the context is elite youth sport, and many aspects of the athletes’ lives revolve around athletic progress. However, the more interesting finding is that this performance frame permeates almost all aspects of the young athletes’ lives, including how food is both understood and consumed. The second frame implies the framing of nutritional supplements as food. Here, the use of supplements is rationalised by practical concerns such as hectic training and teaching schedules that leave little time for meals, with supplements becoming a quick fix to meet energy needs. Hence, meaning-making concerning the grey zone supplements gives rise to an alternative framing linked to food and eating, although an overarching logic of performance also exerts a significant impact.

• Skilbred, Anette; Loland, Sigmund & Strandbu, Åse (2024). Young networked athletes and performance-enhancing substances: who are the actors in their network, and how do the actors shape athletes’ meaning-making? European Journal for Sport and Society (EJSS). ISSN 1613-8171. 21(4), s. 317–336. doi: 10.1080/16138171.2024.2335578. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Ambitious youth athletes continually strive to enhance their performance, and as they age, more people are involved in this process. Athletes are immersed in a network of actors who wield significant influence over their performance-enhancing endeavours, encompassing training, nutrition, and at times, the use of various performance-enhancing substances. Our study predominantly revolves around various permitted substances, primarily in the form of nutritional supplements of various kinds. Also relevant in this regard is anti-doping, as knowledge of and a critical attitude towards supplements are a central part in this preventative educational work. More specifically, in this study, we explore the actors that contribute to young athletes meaning-making of nutritional supplements and anti-doping and examine how the young athletes describe these actors’ contribution. Twenty-four athletes from private elite upper secondary sport schools (PEUSS) in Norway were interviewed, with a semi-structured approach to facilitate the various tales. Our analysis revealed seven actors/actor groups in athletes’ network. The actors/actor groups were diverse and contributed to athletes meaning-making in different ways. We argue that the diversity of actors illustrates the relevance of the networked athlete concept and that the concept should be further developed by interactionist perspectives.

• Skilbred, Anette; Strandbu, Åse & Loland, Sigmund (2024). Performing performance: young aspiring athletes’ presentation of athletic identity. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. 6. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1383559. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Youths are in the process of figuring out answers to the question “who am I?” and young athletes are searching for athletic identity in interaction with their friends, teammates, coaches, and so on. This study explores athletes' presentations of athletic identity based on 24 interviews with ambitious young athletes attending upper secondary sport schools. Anchored in Goffman's theory of the self and the presentation of the self, as well as Markus and Nurius' concept of possible selves, the study views identity as socially constructed in interaction. Utilising this theoretical perspective alongside thematic analysis resulted in four themes that reveal characteristics that are deemed central in an athletic identity. First, the theme I am a dutiful athlete constitutes integral facets of the athletes' self-presentation as committed and diligent individuals. The interviews also bring to light variations in the athletes' attitudes and approaches towards these expectations and concepts. The remaining three themes: I must be unique, We must be unique, and I must have fun, illustrate how being a performing athlete extends beyond duties tied to training, resting, and eating. While the findings suggest the existence of certain dominant and desirable characteristics in an athletic identity, they also highlight variations in identities, emphasising negotiation and flexibility in handling the athlete role.

• Kristensen, Jan Åge; Skilbred, Anette; Abrahamsen, Frank Eirik; Ommundsen, Yngvar & Loland, Sigmund (2022). Performance-enhancing and health-compromising behaviors in youth sports: A systematic mixed-studies review. Performance Enhancement & Health. 10(4). doi: 10.1016/j.peh.2022.100237. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Success in sports entails striving toward greater achievement and outstanding performance. In their pursuit of these goals, adolescent athletes use various means and resort to behaviors that may cause adverse consequences for their health. As they are still in the developmental stage, they are particularly vulnerable to unwanted health consequences. This study aimed to systematically review previous studies on the contextual and personal factors associated with adolescent athletes’ performance-enhancing and health-compromising behaviors. The review was conducted and reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines. Several databases were searched, including SPORTDiscus, Pubmed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. The literature search and additional manual searches of sources yielded a total of 2,808 articles. These were screened against the inclusion criteria, and the remaining 15 were assessed for eligibility using Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool 2018. Convergent meta-integration with thematic analysis was performed by converting quantitative and qualitative data from young athletes aged 14–20 years into relevant codes and themes. Within these themes, the study's findings are presented through narratives that are perceived to influence young athletes’ use of doping and other behaviors that may lead to doping, such as the use of nutritional supplementation and non-prescription painkillers and playing despite being injured and having pain. Our findings indicate that athletes’ entourages (e.g., their coaches, peers, and parents) matter in a variety of ways in athletes’ socialization toward refraining from risking their health in pursuit of greater achievement and outstanding performance.

• Skilbred, Anette; Solbrække, Kari Nyheim & Thoresen, Lisbeth (2022). Begjær til besvær: en analyse av Solberg-regjeringens strategi for seksuell helse, «Snakk om det!». Norsk sosiologisk tidsskrift. 6(4), s. 1–16. doi: 10.18261/nost.6.4.2. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  I 2016 la daværende regjering fram en politisk strategi for hvordan Norges befolkning skal få bedre seksuell helse. I denne artikkelen undersøker vi hvilke normer omkring seksualitet og seksuell helse som konstrueres i strategien, og vi argumenterer for at den kan leses som en form for styring av befolkningen i helt bestemte retninger. Styringen er konstituert av to sentrale diskurser strategien fremmer: en grensediskurs og en opplysningsdiskurs. Begge diskursene viser seg å være nært knyttet til andre sosiale og kulturelle strømninger som helse i dag gjerne kobles til, der egenskaper som rasjonalitet og selvkontroll står fram som sentrale verdier, mens mer begjærlige sider av seksualiteten tones ned. Så til tross for at daværende helseminister Bent Høie innledningsvis i strategien påpeker at «Vi snakker fortsatt for lite og for sjelden om at seksualitet er en fantastisk kraft […]», viser vår analyse at strategien inneholder en iboende forståelse av seksualitet som noe borgerne kontinuerlig bør mestre, kontrollere og avgrense, slik at såkalte problemområder som hiv, klamydia, abort og smitte holdes på lang avstand. Dermed kan det virke som om selve intensjonen med strategien ifølge Høie, nemlig å hylle seksualitet som en fantastisk og helsebringende kraft, ender opp i en nokså rasjonell og regissert seksuell praksis.

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• Skilbred, Anette; Sogn, Hanne Elisabeth; Røe, Lene & Strandbu, Åse (2024). 10 år med forskning på barne- og ungdomsidrett. Kunnskapsoversikt 2014 – 2024. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Storaas, Margrethe Voll; Knutsson, Marte & Skilbred, Anette (2021). Nå trengs det krisepakke til kunnskapsnasjonen. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Sogn, Hanne Elisabeth & Skilbred, Anette (2025). Coaching boys into men» i tre ishockeyklubber. En kvalitativ undersøkelse av et initiativ fra Reform. Norges idrettshøgskole. doi: https:/www.nih.no/forskning/sentre/fobu/rapporter/rapport-cbim.pdf. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Solstad, Gerd Marie; Skilbred, Anette & Enstad, Frøydis (2025). Idrett for alle i Oslo? Sluttrapport fra et følgeforskningsprosjekt 2019–2024. OsloMet - storbyuniversitetet. ISSN 9788278948842. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Oslo Idrettskrets vil skape en mer inkluderende idrett. I 2018 samlet de arbeidet under navnet «Idrett for alle i Oslo», med mål om å styrke byens idrettslag og stimulere til at flere barn og unge deltar i organisert idrett. Et sentralt grep var å opprette konseptet Nabolagsklubb og mane til ekstrainnsats i idrettslag som vil ta et utvidet samfunnsansvar. Har idrettskretsen lyktes? Denne rapporten beskriver mønstre og utviklingstrekk ved idrettsdeltakelsen blant barn og ungdom i perioden 2018-2023, samt endringer i nabolagsklubbenes idrettstilbud, klubbstyring og samfunnsrolle. Resultatene er basert på spørreskjemaundersøkelsene Ung i Oslo for mellomtrinnet (10-12 år), ungdomsskole og videregående skole (13-19 år), samt intervjuer i 20 av de involverte idrettslagene. Rapporten setter også søkelys på spenninger i idretten som står i veien for å nå målene om inkluderende idrett. Forskningen er gjennomført av Velferdsforskningsinstituttet NOVA i samarbeid med Forskningssenter for barne- og ungdomsidrett (FOBU) ved Norges idrettshøgskole på oppdrag fra Oslo Idrettskrets.

• Skilbred, Anette (2024). Young athletes and performance enhancement: A social-constructivist perspective. Norges idrettshøgskole. ISSN 9788250206250. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  For elite athletes, improving their performance is the central focus of their sporting lives. This principle extends to young aspiring athletes who invest significant effort today to become tomorrow’s heroes. In this thesis, I examine how ambitious young athletes ascribe meaning to performance-enhancing substances, with a focus on nutritional supplements and anti-doping work as well as their broader understandings of performance enhancement. The outcomes of the research are presented in four papers. Paper 1 comprises a systematic literature review that synthesises prior research concerning the personal and contextual conditions shaping young athletes and their behaviours related to performance enhancement and health risks. Additionally, the review identifies relevant gaps in the literature and elucidates the direction of the subsequent three empirical works. Papers 2–4 are empirical works based on data from interviews with young athletes. Twenty-four athletes from three private elite sports schools are interviewed about their interactions and how they ascribe meaning to various aspects of life as a young aspiring athlete. The theoretical foundation for all three empirical works is symbolic interactionism. In the analysis, principles and perspectives from symbolic interactionism were integrated with methodological tools from thematic analysis. Paper 2 explores the relevant actors within athletes’ networks and how interactions with these actors contribute to the athletes’ meaning-making of nutritional supplements and anti-doping work. This article is grounded in Connor’s concept of the networked athlete and influenced by an interactionist perspective, providing insight into the diverse contributions of various actors. Paper 3 delves into how athletes organise and frame nutritional supplements. Drawing on Goffman’s frame analysis, two primary frames were identified: nutritional supplements as performance enhancement, and nutritional supplements as food. Simultaneously, both frames exemplify a comprehensive performance logic that seems dominant in this context. Paper 4 studies how athletes perceive and present their athletic identity, with use of Goffman’s perspective on the presentation of self. In addition to the three fundamental aspects of athletic identity—training, recovery, and nutrition—the analysis reveals that athletes also associate performance with the importance of demonstrating uniqueness, aligning their actions with the demands of the sport around the clock, and ensuring that the enjoyment of sports continues into the elite sports career. Overall, the empirical papers explore athletes’ meaning-making in terms of performance enhancement in a broad fashion. Thus, through an open and exploratory research approach, several aspects that are relevant and important for the young athletes emerge. This provides insight into what it is like to live and manoeuvre in an elite sports bubble.

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