Relationship between energy drink consumption and sensation seeking in college students

  Objective  To investigate energy drink (ED) consumption and the relationship between ED consumption and sensation seeking among college students and to provide suggestions for management on ED consumption in the students.

  Methods  Using stratified cluster sampling, we conducted a self-administered survey among 2 200 students of grade one to three recruited in two universities in a city with a self-desinged questionnaire and the Sensation Seeking Scale.

  Results  Among the 2 064 students with eligible information, 1 034 (50.1%) and 511 (24.8%) reported having ED and alcohol mixed with energy drink (AmED) consumption during previous one month, with significantly higher ratios of ED and AmED consumption among the boy students than among the girl students (59.2% vs. 40.9%, χ² = 69.222 and 30.5% vs. 19.0%; χ² = 36.358; both P < 0.001). The students majoring in science reported a significantly higher ED consumption ratio than the students majoring in arts (52.2% vs. 44.3%, χ² = 9.902; P < 0.01); the students with very low body mass index (BMI) reported a significantly lower ED consumption ratio than the students with normal or higher BMI of overweight and obesity (43.5% vs. 52% or 50%, χ² = 9.335; P < 0.01). There was a significant gender difference in sensation seeking score among the students (Z = – 4.220, P < 0.001); the median (25 and 75 percentile) of the sensation seeking score were 5.0 (3.0 and 7.0) for the boy students and 4.0 (3.0 and 6.0) for the girl students. The students' sensation seeking score differed significantly by their years of study in the university (H = 10.958, P < 0.01); the median (25 and 75 percentile) of the sensation seeking score of the freshmen were 4.0 (3.0 and 6.0) and both lower than those of the sophomores 5.0 (3.0 and 7.0) and those of the juniors 5.0 (3.0 and 7.0). The students with higher sensation seeking score were more likely to consume ED (odds ratio OR = 1.071, 95% confidence interval 95% CI: 1.034 – 1.109) and AmED (OR = 1.126, 95% CI: 1.082 – 1.172).

  Conclusion  A half of the college students consume ED and nearly a quarter of college students consume AmED; sensation seeking may be one of the motivations for the students' ED and AmED consumption.