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More education needed for adolescents consuming caffeine

Physicians and health officials need to better educate adolescents to correct their current misconceptions about aspects of caffeine consumption, according to data published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

“Caffeine is the most available and widely used psychoactive substance in the world,” Paige Turton, MScFN, RD, who at the time of the study was a graduate student and dietetic intern at the Brescia University College, in London, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues wrote. “It is also the only drug that is legally accessible and socially acceptable for consumption by children and adolescents. Currently, adolescents are the fastest-growing population of caffeine users, with caffeinated beverage consumption rates increasing considerably over the past decade.”

To examine adolescents’ attitudes regarding caffeinated drinks, and the factors influencing their caffeine choices and behaviors, the researchers conducted 20 focus groups with students in grades 9 through 12 in London, Ontario. Altogether, the focus groups included 166 students: 42% were male and 72% were in grades 9 and 10.

The researchers focused their questions the participants’ views regarding caffeine and caffeinated beverages. Three researchers independently performed inductive content analysis on the resulting data, using the immersion-crystallization method.

According to the data, 4.8% of participants reported never drinking caffeinated beverages, while 11.4% drank them every day. In addition, 44.6% of the students said they consumed caffeinated beverages on 1 to 6 days of the week, whereas 39.2% reported drinking them once in a while. The most popular caffeinated beverages were soft drinks (69.9%), coffee-related drinks (48.2%), tea (41.6%), coffee (22.3%) and energy drinks (11.4%).

The adolescents had a high level of awareness regarding various types of caffeinated drinks and their negative health effects, according to the researchers. However, awareness levels regarding recommended consumption levels and other aspects of caffeine itself were low. Reported reasons for drinking caffeinated beverages included energy, taste, accessibility and image enhancement. Influences on their behavior regarding caffeine included parental behavior, media and advertising, and social norms.

“Because caffeine consumption was strongly seen as an energy provider, to reduce caffeine use effectively in adolescents, a broader educational approach beyond caffeine may be needed and should include alternate strategies to improve perceived energy level, such as eating a healthy diet and getting adequate sleep,” Turton and colleagues wrote. “… By developing more comprehensive educational strategies and enhancing policies, it may be possible to decrease caffeine use in adolescents and mitigate the potential health risks of caffeine overuse within this population.” – by Jason Laday

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