Jiwon Oh1, Jayong Chung2

1Nutrition Education Major, Graduate School of Education, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea 2Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea


Background: Energy drinks (EDs), functional beverages with high concentrations of caffeine, can cause health risks. This study examined the frequency of ED consumption and related factors in Korean adolescents.
Methods: Data from the 10th-13th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey was used, and a total of 137,101 boys and 130,806 girls were included in the final analyses. Differences in ED consumption and asso- ciated factors were analyzed using the Rao-Scott chi- square test and a multivariate logistic regression analysis, reflecting of the complex sample design.
Results: In total, 17.3% boys and 12.9% girls consumed EDs more than once a week (P<0.001). In particular, 24.2% of all high-school students in the 12th grade consumed more than three EDs a week. After adjusting for confounding factors, a multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that higher ED consumption was sig- nificantly associated with a higher soda, sweet-drink, and fast food intake; skipping breakfast; a lower vegeta- ble intake; depression; suicidal thoughts; sleep deprivation; and increased smoking and alcohol drinking.
Conclusions: ED consumption is associated with undesirable dietary-, lifestyle-, and mental health-related be- haviors, suggesting the need for appropriate nutrition education in adolescents.
Korean J Health Promot 2019;19(3):145-154

Keywords: Adolescent, Energy drinks, Dietary habit, Life style, Mental health