The purpose of this study was to investigate the intake status of energy drinks, knowledge of caffeine and the perception on intake of energy drinks by university students. We surveyed 351 university students from October 25, 2017 to January 25, 2018. The subjects (70.9%) consumed energy drinks more than once. Male students consumed energy drinks more frequently than the female ones. A huge portion (68.3%) of the subjects consumed energy drinks to recover from fatigue and reduce sleepiness. Moreover, they consumed most of the energy drinks at home and the university library. The main anticipated efficacy of energy drinks was the relieving drowsiness. Respondents (86.3%) perceived that energy drinks could be hazardous to the health of human beings. The main risks of consuming energy drinks were sleep disorders, addiction problems and heart beating. The main recognized effects of energy drinks were relieved drowsiness and decreased fatigue. The major side effects were heart beating, nausea, vomiting, heartburn and sleeping disorders. This study suggests that nutritional education is needed to confirm the recommendation of daily intake for caffeine and to raise awareness about the side effects of energy drinks.

The purpose of this study was to determine factors related to the consumption of energy drinks among male and female high school students in Daejeon. The research data, derived from the self-administered questionnaire method, was collected from 664 students in fifteen high schools during the spring of 2016. A total of 542 complete questionnaires were analyzed (response rate: 79.8%). Approximately 73% of the students self-reported having consumed energy drinks, with a greater percentage of male (as opposed to female) students self-reporting as having done so. The most common reasons given for the consumption of energy drinks were to stay awake (54.8%), the good taste of the drink (28.0%), to concentrate during studying (17.2%), and to relieve fatigue (16.9%). The adverse effects were palpitation (59.3%), insomnia (35.6%), and experiencing difficulty in waking up (30.5%). More than two in three (67.8%) students who experienced adverse effects still consumed energy drinks. The average level of health consciousness was lower than 3 out of 5 points. The results of the logistic regression analyses indicated a positive relationship between monthly allowance (OR=1.01 for male and female students) and the consumption of energy drinks by both male and female students. Among the male students, freshmen (OR=0.23) were less likely to have consumed energy drinks than juniors. Male students’ sleeping hours (OR=0.65) and perceived school life satisfaction scores (OR=0.63) were negatively associated with the consumption of energy drinks. In the case of female students, study hours (OR=0.83) and energy drinks consumption were negatively related. These factors affecting energy drinks consumption could be considered in the development of dietary education programs aimed at protecting high school students from the adverse health impacts of energy drinks