ABSTRACT:

Energy drinks often contain excessive caffeine, which can lead to increased heart rate, high blood pressure, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and dependence with frequent consumption and risk of heart problems. High sugar content in many energy drinks increases the risk of obesity, tooth decay, and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate perceptions of energy drinks, consumption habits, and the negative health impacts of these drinks among both medical and non-medical students at the Universities in Lahore, Pakistan, and to determine whether the field of study is an influential factor in reasons for use and symptoms. The main variables were the prevalence of energy drink consumption, the brand used, the mode of introduction, frequency of use, reasons for use, adverse effects, and gender differences between medical and non-medical students. A self-administered questionnaire was used in a cross-sectional survey of 1,549 students at universities in Lahore, Pakistan, with chi-square analyses used to assess associations between variables. Among 1,549 participants, 48.8% reported ever taking energy drinks, with Red Bull as the most commonly consumed brand (39.2%). The most frequent mode of introduction was friends and family (41.5%), with staying awake being the most frequent reason to use (29.4%). There was higher consumption among non-medical students than among medical students. Non-medical students reported more consumption of energy drinks than medical students. The most common reason for consumption overall was to stay awake (29.4%), with medical students more likely to use energy drinks for physical activities (27.4%) and academic performance (17.2%) than non-medical students, who were more likely to report staying awake (35.4%) and cognitive enhancement (21.7%). Field of study was significantly associated with both reasons for use (χ² = 21.051,            p = 0.001) and adverse effects experienced (χ² = 15.418, p = 0.031). Of all who have ever used the drink, 76.1% experienced at least one of the adverse effects, with the most common being anxiety (32.4%), and males used energy drinks considerably more often than females (p < 0.001). This is one of the first Pakistani studies to compare energy drink consumption and health effects among medical and non-medical university students. The convenience sample of students from Lahore limits the ability to generalize to all Pakistani students. Future research with nationally representative samples should also explore the moderating effect of health literacy on energy drink consumption behavior in both student groups.
Keywords: 
Energy Drinks; Adverse Effects; University Students;ts, Medical Students; Pakistan; Caffeine Consumption.

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