Awareness and Practices Regarding Energy Drink Consumption among Undergraduate Students of Tehsil Taxila

Abstract

Background: Energy drinks are those beverages that contain stimulant ingredients such as caffeine and is advertised as a mental and physical booster. They contain sugar, other sweeteners, herbal extracts, taurine and amino acids. They can or can not be carbonated. Coffee, tea and other soft drinks are not considered as energy drinks. Objective: To examine the energy drink consumption rate and awareness about energy drink consumption among undergraduate students. Methods: A cross-sectional study using convenient sampling technique was used. This study was conducted in UET (University of Engineering and Technology) and WMC (Wah Medical College) Taxila including undergraduate students, both male and female, aged between 18-24 years. A sample of 384 participants were obtained using Open-Epi version 3.01. Data was collected by using a questionnaire which was of self-administrated standard. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. Chi-square test of independence was conducted. Results: Out of 384 participants, majority were females 220(57.3%) and only 164(42.7%) were males. Majority of the participants aged varied from 20-22 years (23%). Sting (54.4%) was the most consumed energy drink. Regarding awareness, most of the participants (32.6%) were not aware of any adverse effect caused by energy drinks. About 50% of the participants use energy drinks for refreshment/ taste purpose and 54.7% think it is a symbol of fashion. Whereas, majority of the participants 76% agree that energy drink consumption is not good for health. Conclusion: Consumption of energy drinks in the universities students are increasing, and students are taking these drinks to gain energy without knowing their ingredients which are quite harmful and cause health hazards. Keywords: Energy drinks, Young Adults, Caffeine, Practices, Undergraduate Students, Awareness