ABSTRACT
Introduction: The aims of our study are to research the general features of energy drink consumption among college students, the association between energy drink consumption and alcohol use while controlling for demographic attributes and general risk taking propensity. Methods: The study was carried out using data collected from 2,632 college students at Trakya University (Edirne, Turkey). The study data were obtained from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Addiction Profile Index, Energy Drink Consumption Data Form, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale. Results: Of all the students, 59.9% had used energy drinks within the last year and 26.4% had used energy drinks within the last 1 month. Of the subjects who used energy drinks within the last month, 26.1% had high consumption frequency (≥6 days/month). Energy drink consumption within the last year and last month predicted alcohol use within the last year and last month, binge drinking, and hazardous/harmful alcohol use in the logistic regression analysis. In addition, the high energy drink consumption frequency predicted hazardous/harmful alcohol use. Discussion: The association between energy drink consumption and alcohol use, independent from other variables related to alcohol use, highlights the importance of raising awareness among college students.
Disclosure of potential conflict of interest
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Funding
This study was supported by a grant from the Scientific Research Projects Unit of the Trakya University (TÜBAP), Edirne, Turkey (Project No.: 2013-27).