Energy Drink Consumption Practices of Young People in Bahrain

Psychological and socio-educational correlates of energy drink consumption in children and adolescents: a systematic review

Energy drinks (EDs) are non-alcoholic beverages providing an extra boost in physical/cognitive performance and mood. Besides the physiological effects related to the high-caffeine content of EDs, long-term emotional, social, and behavioral effects have been recently receiving attention. However, a few systematic reviews have focused on the critical yet understudied periods of childhood and adolescence. We have undertaken a comprehensive systematic review of the evidence on any psychosocial correlates of ED consumption in 0-18-year-old subjects, as published up to April 1, 2021, in MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Reviews and Central Register of Controlled Trials. Of the initial 789 records, 104 original articles were included in the systematic review. Seventy percent of them were published from 2016 onwards; among investigated topics, substance use ranked first, followed by psychological and socio-educational factors; the less investigated topic was risky behaviors. Taste and energy-seeking were the main drivers of consumption, which generally happened at home or during sport/recreational activities, without perception of health-related risks. Positive associations with ED consumption were found for sensation seeking, irritability/anger, and suicide ideation, plan, or attempts. Finally, participants with lower grades, a low parental monitoring, or bad influences from peers were more likely to consume EDs. Conclusion: With ~ 70% of papers published since the 2 comprehensive reviews on children/adolescents were carried out, an update of the literature with a broad focus is of great importance. Consumption of EDs by children/adolescents lies in the potential interplay between personality traits, school performance, and influences by family members and peers. What is Known: • Taste and energy-seeking are the main drivers of energy drink consumption, which mostly happened at home or in sport/recreational activities. What is New: • Perception of risks related to energy drinks is associated with a lower consumption, as based on cross-sectional studies. • As mostly based on cross-sectional studies: 1. energy drink consumption is related to sensation seeking, irritability/anger, and suicide ideation or attempts; 2. students with a lower school performance, low parental monitoring, or bad peer influence, are more likely to consume energy drinks.

Consumer Awareness and Preferences Related to Taurine-Containing Drinks in Korean Female High School Students

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate awareness, consumption patterns, and preferences related to intake experience of taurine-containing drinks (TCD) in Korean female high school students. Study subjects were 335 female high school students residing in Incheon, Korea. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. A total of 249 students (74.3%) consumed TCD while 86 students (25.7%) did not. In the TCD consumption group, 66.7% of consumers drank TCD once every 2 or 3 months while most consumers consumed it during the examination period (57.4%). Regarding the effects of TCD intake, 45.8% of students cited 'relieve sleepiness' while 41.8% showed 'no effect'. According to self-reported school records, there were significant differences in intake time of TCD, effects of TCD intake, and degree of interest in TCD (p < 0.05). About 82.7% of all the subjects perceived TCD as an energy drink for fatigue recovery. Degree of interest in TCD (p < 0.001), degree of harmfulness to the body (p < 0.01), and improvement for learning-ability (p < 0.001) had significant effects on intake frequency of TCD. Regarding preferences, 'Vita 500' was preferred by 52.2% of subjects, 'Bacchas' by 20.1%, and 'Hot Six' by 17.3%. Although subjects preferred 'Vita 500' as a caffeine-free TCD, caffeine was perceived as the most abundant ingredients in TCD by 77.1% of subjects, taurine by 16.1%, and vitamin by 4.8%. These results show most Korean female high school students consumed TCD in order to stay awake during the examination periods. Therefore, nutritional education is needed to correct Korean high school students' consumption of TCD.