Abstract
The increased consumption of energy drinks by adolescents and young adults globally is a public concern due to the high amount of caffeine and sugar in them, which may affect consumers' health. Only one study was found in Madinah that measure the prevalence of energy drink consumption, but it was conducted with female students of secondary school. The prevalence of energy drink consumption is high and there is evidence of affecting health of the population. The objective of this study was to determine the patterns of consumption of energy drinks among college students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted at Taibah university in Madinah. The sample included 380 students of the main branch of Taibah university in Madinah, which contains 29153 students. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 20 questions relating to students’ sociodemographic characteristics, personal habits, total fluid intake, energy drink-related knowledge, and habits. Of the 380 students surveyed, 127 (33.4%) student were regularly consuming energy drinks. The mean age and standard deviation were 21.24 ± 1.77. Pearson chi-square test was done and it showed statistically significant association between energy drinks and smoking (13.522) with P value 0.0002. A majority of surveyed students had good knowledge regarding energy drinks. Future studies are needed to determine harmful side effects of energy drinks.
Highlights
Energy drinks are global public concerns due to their increased consumption by adolescents and young adults because they contain high amount of caffeine and sugar that may affect the health of the population
This study focused on the consumption of and attitudes towards energy drinks among college students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia
In contrast to other studies on the use of energy drinks conducted in Saudi Arabia, our study found that of 380 college students surveyed, only 127 (33.4%) were currently consuming energy drinks
Summary
Energy drinks are global public concerns due to their increased consumption by adolescents and young adults because they contain high amount of caffeine and sugar that may affect the health of the population. In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Council of Ministers has decided to restrict the advertisement of energy drinks as well as distribution of free energy drinks to consumers of all age groups because of a recent significant rise in sudden cardiac deaths among healthy young individuals. This restriction prohibits the sale of energy drinks in restaurants, government facilities, health and education facilities, halls of government, and private sports clubs. The study found that the concentration of caffeine and sugar in the energy drinks are high and can cause serious side effects. [7] the objective of this study was to access the patterns of consumption of energy drinks among college students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia
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