Pharmacy, Health Sciences & Exercise Science

Public Awareness of the Safety of Energy Drinks

Presenter Information

Beverly Bortz, Butler University

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Location

Indianapolis, IN

Subject Area

Pharmacy, Health Sciences & Exercise Science

Start Date

11-4-2014 8:30 AM

End Date

11-4-2014 10:00 AM

Description

Background: Energy drinks have become increasingly popular, with hundreds of brands available and billions of dollars in sales.Consumersdrink these beverages for a variety of reasons: to achieve instant energy, to fight sleepiness, to help with studying or long drives, to improve athletic performance, to mix with alcohol, etc. Many energy drink manufacturers market their products to young adults, who are unaware of the potential risks. Adverse effects experienced by energy drink consumers include headache, increased heart rate, anxiety, nausea, insomnia, and many more. These side effects can sometimes be so severe that they lead to necessary emergency room visits. There is a need to educate young adults about these dangers and decrease the prevalence of energy drink consumption among college students.

Study objective: To determine the prevalence of energy drink use by college students and identify any adverse effects experienced, and to improve public awareness of the possible risks associated with consumption of energy drinks.

Methods: The objectives will be met by first creating an online survey asking about the habits of energy drink consumers, including frequency of use, reason for use, prevalence of adverse effects and which adverse effects they experience. The survey will also measure their knowledge about caffeine contents and side effects. The survey will be distributed to the young adults on Butler University campus, primarily targeting freshmen and sophomores. Analysis of the survey will determine the need for providing a public awareness session that will address the risks of energy drinks among college students. The data will be presented to the students, and during the presentation, students will be encouraged to further discuss points of view on energy drink use and side effects.

Significance: Education about the safety of caffeine will hopefully lead to a decline in use of energy drinks and, as a result, cause an overalldecline in adverse events and emergency room visits from consumption of these beverages.

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Apr 11th, 8:30 AM Apr 11th, 10:00 AM

Public Awareness of the Safety of Energy Drinks

Indianapolis, IN

Background: Energy drinks have become increasingly popular, with hundreds of brands available and billions of dollars in sales.Consumersdrink these beverages for a variety of reasons: to achieve instant energy, to fight sleepiness, to help with studying or long drives, to improve athletic performance, to mix with alcohol, etc. Many energy drink manufacturers market their products to young adults, who are unaware of the potential risks. Adverse effects experienced by energy drink consumers include headache, increased heart rate, anxiety, nausea, insomnia, and many more. These side effects can sometimes be so severe that they lead to necessary emergency room visits. There is a need to educate young adults about these dangers and decrease the prevalence of energy drink consumption among college students.

Study objective: To determine the prevalence of energy drink use by college students and identify any adverse effects experienced, and to improve public awareness of the possible risks associated with consumption of energy drinks.

Methods: The objectives will be met by first creating an online survey asking about the habits of energy drink consumers, including frequency of use, reason for use, prevalence of adverse effects and which adverse effects they experience. The survey will also measure their knowledge about caffeine contents and side effects. The survey will be distributed to the young adults on Butler University campus, primarily targeting freshmen and sophomores. Analysis of the survey will determine the need for providing a public awareness session that will address the risks of energy drinks among college students. The data will be presented to the students, and during the presentation, students will be encouraged to further discuss points of view on energy drink use and side effects.

Significance: Education about the safety of caffeine will hopefully lead to a decline in use of energy drinks and, as a result, cause an overalldecline in adverse events and emergency room visits from consumption of these beverages.