The Prevalence of Energy Drink Consumption Among Jazan University Female College Students and Its Impact on Health

Abstract

Background: The consumption of energy drinks (EDs) has become a global public health concern due to the increasing numbers of consumers and their adverse effects on health.

This study aims to determine the prevalence of energy drink consumption among female students at Jazan University, KSA, and also to study the adverse effects on health.

Methodology: A total of 999 female students from applied medical science and medical colleges were subjected to this study during the period from (2017 to 2018). The data was collected from students using a self-administered questionnaire that included 25 questions in three sections. Question 1 assessed demographic information [age and weight]. Question 2 inquiried about the participant's study level. Questions 3 and 4 inquire about anemia and hemoglobin value in the blood. The following questions assess the consistency of the menstrual cycle, bone pain, diabetes, present diabetes parent, abdominal pain, kidney disease, blood pressure, and other health problems. The final question inquiries about the participant's immunity (strong, weak, or normal). SPSS version 22.0 was used to analyze the data, and P 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: 612 students out of 999 (61.3 %) were ED consumers. The highest frequency of ED usage was 268 (43.8%) who drank it 1-4 times/week, while the lowest was 26 (4.2%) who drank it more than once a day. The data showed that 159 (26%) of consumers prefer to mix more than one type of ED, while the majority of 453 (74%) drink it alone, but 52 (8.5%) of consumers prefer adding Panadol during usage, while the majority of consumers 560 (91.5%) drink it without Panadol. The relationship between EDs and headache during usage, abstaining from EDs, study pattern, study level, anemia, diabetes, menstrual period disturbance, bone pain, kidney disease, blood pressure, and immunity were investigated. Blood samples were drawn from ED consumers to estimate creatinine, cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, urea, total protein, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, and hematocrit. In general, ED users harm their health.

Conclusion: There is an increasing rate of usage of EDs among female students and there is an adverse effect on their health. We should try to reduce the habit of drinking these drinks and replace them with fruit juices.