Energy Drink Consumption Among Teenagers Aged 16-18 Years Old

The Hellenic Food Authority completed a survey regarding drink and beverage consumption among 4562 teenagers aged 16-18 years old. The survey was conducted in 26 schools from various prefectures in Greece, but it was not nationally representative. Almost half of the participants were from Attica prefecture, which contains about 40% of the Greek population. Data collection commenced in September 2011 and was completed in February 2012. Energy drinks (ED) are consumed by 43.9% of the teenagers aged 16-18 years old. Among those who are energy drink users: - 55.4% were males. - 17.0% reported that the first time they consumed EDs was during primary school (6-12 years old), 47.9% during secondary school (13-15 years old) and 23.7% during high school (16-18 years old). - 54.1% reported checking ingredients and nutrition label, but only one out of three appeared to recall that EDs contain caffeine. - 34.5% reported that the maximum number of EDs that they consumed in a day is one drink (i.e. 1 can). It is noteworthy that 8.1% reported that the maximum number of EDs that they have consumed in one day is more than 5 drinks (i.e. 5 cans). - Half of the participants reported that they do not consume EDs after intense physical activity. On the other hand, 13.9% reported that they consume EDs after strenuous physical activity frequently. - EDs were not combined with alcohol by more than half of the participants (~61%). However, about one in ten mentioned that they mix them frequently. The majority (64.1%) of those who mix EDs and alcohol (occasionally or frequently) reported consuming one ED per occasion. A small percentage (4.8%) reported combining more than 3 EDs with alcohol per occasion. - Some participants seemed to be confused or unaware of the characteristics of EDs such as their energy content (i.e. calories), their differentiation from sports drinks etc. This indicates that the meaning of the term “energy drink” is not clear for this population group.