The Effects of Alcohol Mixed With Energy Drinks (AmED) on Traffic Behaviors Among Brazilian College Students: A National Survey

Abstract

The current findings are consistent with the results of previous studies. Drinking AmED may make college students more vulnerable to the occurrence of risky drinking and traffic behaviors. Educational campaigns targeted to young people should be developed warning them about the potential risks of mixing alcohol with energy drinks.

Alcohol mixed with energy drink (AMED): A critical review and meta‐analysis

“…In Europe, AMED consumption was reported by 3.4% of Slovakian adolescents (Holubcikova et al, ), 10.6% of Polish adolescent athletes (Nowak & Jasionowski, ), 20.6% of Dutch students (De Haan, de Haan, van der Palen, Olivier, & Verster, ), 39.0% of U.K. students (Johnson, Alford, Stewart, & Verster, ; Johnson, Alford, Verster, & Stewart, ), 44.4% of Italian students (Vitiello, Diolordi, Donini, & del Balzo, ), and 46.1% of Italian teenagers (Flotta et al, ). Among Brazilian students and teenagers, AMED consumption was reported by 12.9% to 31% (Bitancourt, Ribeiro Grilli Tissot, Marques Fidalgo, Fernandes Galdurόz, & da Silveira Filho, ; Eckschmidt, Guerra de Andrade, dos Santos, & Garcia de Oliviera, ; Locatelli, Sanchez, Opaleye, Carlini, & Noto, ), and 38% of Puerto Rican students reported AMED consumption (Cabezas‐Bou et al, ).…”

“…AMED consumption has been associated with being involved in high‐risk traffic behaviors, such as driving after drinking (O'Brien et al, ; Peacock, Droste, Pennay, Lubman et al, ; Woolsey et al, ), speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, traveling with an intoxicated driver (Eckschmidt et al, ), riding with a driver that has used alcohol (Flotta et al, ), receiving driving tickets and warnings (Martz et al, ), and having traffic accidents (Martz et al, ). Finally, AMED consumption has been associated with recent (but not former) traumatic brain injuries among Canadian adolescents (Ilie et al, ), experiencing depressive symptoms (Bonar et al, ), and increased risk for suicidal behaviors among U.S. army personnel (Herberman Mash et al, ).…”

“…Combined, the 11 studies provided data on alcohol consumption on typical single drinking occasions of 6,061 AMED consumers and 14,496 AO consumers (Brache & Stockwell, ; De Haan et al, ; Eckschmidt et al, ; Johnson, Alford, Stewart, et al, ; Johnson, Alford, Verster, et al, ; Lubman et al, a; Lubman et al, b; O'Brien et al, ; Trapp et al, ; Woolsey et al, ; Woolsey, Jacobson, et al, ; Woolsey, Williams, et al, ).…”

Uso exclusivo de álcool e em associação a outras drogas entre motoristas de caminhão que trafegam por rodovias do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil: um estudo transversal

“…Como essa mistura atenua a percepção dos efeitos sedativos e dos prejuízos psicomotores causados pelo álcool 41 , aumenta a chance de os condutores envolverem-se em comportamentos de risco no trânsito, como dirigir em velocidades maiores que as permitidas nas vias públicas, o que os torna vulneráveis ao acontecimento de acidentes de trânsito e outros desfechos negativos 12 .…”

“…Nesse contexto, prioridade deve ser dada à investigação da tendência atual do uso múltiplo de drogas 9,10,11 , em que usuários de álcool usam-no juntamente a outras substâncias psicoativas, ao mesmo tempo ou não, com finalidades diversas 10 . Preocupa notar que o uso múltiplo de drogas agrava a emissão de comportamentos de risco no trân-sito 12 , tornando o condutor mais predisposto ao acontecimento de acidentes de trânsito. Embora a existência do uso múltiplo de drogas já tenha sido citada entre motoristas de caminhão 13 , detalhamentos são necessários.…”