Knowledge and Prevalence of Energy Drinks Consumption among King Khalid University Female Students

Background: Consumption of energy drinks has become a global concern, and Saudi Arabia is not an exception. The Saudi Council of Ministers has decided to ban the advertisement of energy drinks after a recent rise in sudden cardiac deaths among healthy young Saudis. Aim of Study: To assess prevalence of energy drinks consumption and knowledge about its ingredient safety and side effects among female college students at King Khalid University (KKU). Methods: A cross sectional study design was followed. A self-administered questionnaire was constructed by the researchers and was validated and pretested. It consisted of socio-demographic characteristics, following unhealthy nutritional habits and knowledge about energy drinks, and their effects and impact. Results: A total of 300 female college students participated in this study. Their mean age was 20.9 +/- 1.6 years. Prevalence of energy drinks consumption was 31.3%. The commonest drink used was Code Red (55.3%), Bison (40.4%), Red Bull (23.4%) and Power Horse (20.2%). The monthly intake of energy drinks ranged between 1 to 4 times among 61.7% of students. Overall, 64% of the students had poor knowledge about energy drinks, whereas only 0.7% had good knowledge. Conclusions: Energy drinks consumption is commonly practiced among female university students. It is frequently associated with fast food intake. Knowledge of female university students is generally poor to fair.