Pattern of Caffeine Use among Teenagers in Bangalore, India: An Exploration.

Abstract

DEAR EDITOR, There has been an increase in the usage of energy drinks and other caffeinated products among teenagers. Its usages have increased up to 70% in the past 30 years.[1] High caffeine users (>50 mg/day) used for staying awake. Whereas boys use it more for getting a rush, energy or to improve athletic performance.[2] Consuming common caffeinated beverages like sodas may enhance the preference for sweet foods throughout the lifespan when regularly taken during childhood. It can contribute to excess caloric intake and have a negative impact on one's nutrition intake.[3] There is dearth of work to assess the pattern of its usage among teenagers in India. Totally, 106 users in the age group of 16–18 years were approached through survey design. They were assessed using semistructured interview schedule. They were taken from the community (school and colleges after obtaining their informed consent) based in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, with the inclusion criteria of usage of caffeinated products in last 1-month. Table 1 showed that Dairy Milk chocolate was the most frequently consumed caffeinated products (68%), and Espresso was the least consumed caffeinated product (3.77%). 54.5% expressed a strong desire to consume caffeinated products. 9.4% experienced withdrawals in the form of headache, irritability, and fatigue after cessation of caffeine use in the last 24 h. 15.1% experienced the loss of control in relation to use of caffeinated products. 71.1% were aware of the harmful effects of excessive caffeine use in the form of headache, irritability, fatigue, and problem in sleep. 63.3% expressed a desire to continue its usages despite having awareness about negative consequences are shown in Table 2. It includes disturbing social functioning (5.7%), family functioning (7.5%), and academic performance (7.5%). 6.6% had a life time abstinence from caffeine products, which includes tea (4.7%), coffee, chocolate and energy drinks (18%). They attributed its maintenance of use to personal reasons and stress (64.3%), interpersonal disturbance (30.2%), and media (7.5%). 14.6% also had the history of use of other substances like tobacco and alcohol are seen in Table 3. The present work document the presence of caffeine withdrawal as per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V[4] in the form presence of fatigue, irritability, headache (criterion B) and disturb social, family, and academic functioning (criteria C). The finding was corroborated by the available works. 30–50% of the energy drinks were consumed by the adolescents and young adults.[5] 41.7% subjects reported tolerance to caffeine and 77.8% experienced withdrawal symptoms after cessation or reduction of caffeine intake. 38% made unsuccessful attempts to control use, and 16% (n = 6) endorsed its use despite knowledge of physical and psychological problems associated with caffeine use.[6] 23.8% teenagers had caffeine dependence. The dependent teenager experienced withdrawal symptoms such as feeling drowsy/tired, fatigued, or sluggish/slowed down (83.3%), and headaches (75%).[7] It has implications for raising awareness about the addictive characteristic of caffeine products. Table 1 Pattern of caffeine product use among teenagers Table 2 Variables related to addictive use of caffeine Table 3 Reasons associated with the use of caffeine products