Energy Drinks and Youth Self-Reported Hyperactivity/Inattention Symptoms

Abstract

Objectives (1) Describe patterns in sweetened beverage consumption by race/ethnicity and sex, documenting both the amount and types of sweetened beverages consumed; and (2) examine the association of sweetened beverage consumption with hyperactivity/inattention symptoms among middle school students in a single urban school district. Methods Middle-school students (N=1649; 47% Hispanic and 38% Black, non-Hispanic) from 12 schools, randomly selected out of 27 district schools, completed health behavior surveys in Fall 2011. Students reported quantity and types of sweetened beverages consumed in the past 24 hours and completed the five-item Hyperactivity/Inattention Subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to measure symptoms. Results Amount and variety of reported sweetened beverage consumption (including energy drinks) were greater among males versus females and among Black and Hispanic versus White students. Risk of hyperactivity/inattention increased by 14% for each additional sweetened beverage consumed, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, sex, school lunch eligibility, family structure and sugary food consumption. Students reporting consumption of energy drinks were 66% more likely to be at risk for hyperactivity/inattention after adjusting for number of drinks, other types of drinks consumed and other potential confounders. Conclusions Results support recommendations to limit consumption of sweetened beverages and to avoid consumption of energy drinks among children. Interventions to reduce sweetened beverage consumption should explicitly focus on energy drinks and other emerging sweetened beverages such as sports and sweetened coffee drinks. More research is needed to understand the direction of effects and the mechanisms behind the association between sweetened beverages and hyperactivity/inattention symptoms.

Energy drink consumption among New Zealand adolescents: Associations with mental health, health risk behaviours and body size

“…Data from the EAT 2010 study are also 2 years older than the current study, and the energy drink market is growing rapidly. 5,10,11,19 However, it remains unclear why frequent consumption of energy drinks would be associated with these problem behaviours. Previous populationbased studies have not reported such marked social and ethnic gradients with regards to the consumption of energy drinks for adolescents.…”

“…19,25 Strengths of the current study lie in its large, nationally representative sample and inclusion of validated measures of mental health indicators. Specifically, we found that energy drink consumption was associated with greater depressive symptoms, greater emotional difficulties and lower levels of well-being.…”

“…18 That energy drink consumption was associated with a wide range of health risk behaviours is consistent with a growing body of research in this area. 5,10,11,19 However, it remains unclear why frequent consumption of energy drinks would be associated with these problem behaviours. It is possible that caffeine consumption may explain these findings to some extent as previous research has found that caffeine consumption may affect how young people express emotions.…”

“…Findings from studies examining the relationship between caffeine consumption and the mental health of adolescents have been mixed. 19,25 Strengths of the current study lie in its large, nationally representative sample and inclusion of validated measures of mental health indicators. That said, our study has a few limitations to consider when interpreting the findings.…”

Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Children's Health

“…One recent study examined SSBs and self-reported hyperactivity/inattention symptoms in 1,649 middle school students (123). For each SSB consumed, the risk of hyperactivity/inattention symptoms increased by 14%.…”