Open AccessEvidence and knowledge gaps for the association between energy drink use and high‐risk behaviors among adolescents and young adults
Author(s) -
Arria Amelia M,
Bugbee Brittany A,
Caldeira Kimberly M,
Vincent Kathryn B
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
nutrition reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.958
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1753-4887
pISSN - 0029-6643
DOI - 10.1111/nure.12129
Subject(s) - association (psychology) , environmental health , ethnic group , limiting , energy (signal processing) , medicine , psychology , demography , gerontology , engineering , mechanical engineering , statistics , mathematics , sociology , anthropology , psychotherapist
Sales of energy drinks have increased rapidly since their introduction to the marketplace in the 1990s. Despite the health concerns raised about these beverages, which are often highly caffeinated, surprisingly little data are available to estimate the prevalence of their use. This review presents the results of secondary data analyses of a nationally representative data set of schoolchildren in the United States and reviews the available research on the association between energy drink use and risk‐taking behaviors. Approximately one‐third of the students surveyed were recent users of energy drinks, with substantial variation by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Among the health and safety concerns related to energy drinks and their consumption is the possible potentiation of risk‐taking behaviors. The review of available research reveals that, although there does appear to be a strong and consistent positive association between the use of energy drinks and risk‐taking behavior, all but one of the available studies used cross‐sectional designs, thereby limiting the ability to make inferences about the temporal nature of the association. Thus, more research is needed to understand the nature of this association and how energy drinks, particularly those containing caffeine, might impact adolescent health and safety, especially given the high prevalence of their use among youth.