Effects of Awareness and Knowledge of Energy Drinks on Consumption Patterns among College Students

Abstract

We examined the consumption patterns and the knowledge and awareness of energy drinks to draw up a guideline for energy drink consumption and to give accurate information to college student.

Full text

Original Article Korean J Health Promot 2015;15(1):31-38 • pISSN: 2234-2141 • eISSN: 2093-5676
http://dx.doi.org/10.15384/kjhp.2015.15.1.31
대학생들의 에너지음료에 대한 인식 및 지식이 섭취행태에
미치는 영향
김유진, 전은민, 심성보, 서화정
가천대학교 사회과학대학 헬스케어경영학과
Effects of Awareness and Knowledge of Energy Drinks on
Consumption Patterns among College Students
Yoo Jin Kim, Eun Min Jeon, Sung Bo Shim, Hwa Jeong Seo
Medical Informatics and health Technology (MIT), Department of Health Care Services, College of Social
Science, Gachon University, Seongnam, Korea
Background: We examined the consumption patterns and the knowledge and awareness of energy drinks to
draw up a guideline for energy drink consumption and to give accurate information to college student.
Methods: Data from 324 subjects (186 males and 138 females) were collected using self-administered
questionnaires. The study participants were recruited from the Gyeonggi-do, Seongnam area between March
and June 2013.
Results: The results showed that there was a significant gender-based difference in awareness of energy
drinks- 56.5% (78/139) of the males and 78.9% (71/90) of the females had negative awareness (P<.001). As for
recognizability of taurine by awareness of energy drinks, there were intergroup differences: the mean was 3.89
for the group with positive awareness and 3.31 for the negative awareness group (P=.001). The odds ratio for
awareness of energy drinks was 2.75 (95% CI:1.05-7.18) and those with positive awareness consumed more
than those with negative awareness (P=.039).
Conclusions: This investigation on the factors that affect energy drinks consumption behaviors is of sig-
nificance in that it helps make known the high caffeine content of energy drinks, and accurate knowledge of the
side effects and appropriate consumption.
Korean J Health Promot 2015;15(1):31-38
Keywords: Energy drinks, Caffeine, Economics, Awareness, Students
￭ Received：August 21, 2014 ￭ Accepted：February 9, 2015
￭Corresponding author：Hwa Jeong Seo, PhD
Medical Informatics and health Technology (MIT), Department of
Health Care Services, College of Social Science, Gachon University,
1342 Seongnam-daero, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam 461-701, Korea
Tel: +82-31-750-8741, Fax: +82-31-750-5372
E-mail: hjseo@gachon.ac.kr
INTRODUCTION
The global market of energy drinks is as big as about 15
trillion dollars, and the domestic market is about 100 bil-
lion won. As L drink company initiated its sales of H
drink in March 2010, the general consumption of energy
drinks increased accordingly. Particularly among those
in their 20s who are overloaded with duties and examina-
tions, the consumption rates are increasing because of its
concentration enhancement and fatigue-relieving effects.1-3)
Having changed trends in the domestic drink market dur-
ing the recent growth for 2 to 3 years, the energy drink
market reached 102 billion won in 2012. Compared to 30
billion in 2011, the sales tripled within one year.4)
Energy drinks contain caffeine, guarana extracts, taur-
ine, and sugar in addition to other ingredients.5) The pri-
mary functional element is caffeine,6,7) which is known for
its overall effect of stimulation, mentally and physically.

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Korean J Health Promot Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015
As much as 400 mg of caffeine consumption may involve
no negative effects,8,9) but when it exceeds 500 to 600 mg
a day, there is a high risk of chronic toxicity.2,10) Chronic
toxicity includes insomnia, headache, nervousness, an-
noyance, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, and cardiovascular
disease.11,12)
Energy drinks are readily available through vending
machines in colleges, and college students often drink al-
cohol mixed with these drinks.13) As such consumption
could be dangerous, it is necessary to make available ac-
curate information and a wholesome guideline for con-
sumption based on the investigation of awareness and
consumption behaviors of energy drinks in college stu-
dents, who are the major consumers.
The goals of this study are as follows: 1) examine dif-
ferences in consumption behaviors in relation to the
awareness and knowledge of energy drinks, 2) examine
the correlations between knowledge and the awareness of
energy drinks, and 3) to examine their effects on the con-
sumption of energy drinks.
This study assumed that the level of knowledge and
consumption behaviors of energy drinks would be differ-
ent depending on the positive or negative awareness of
energy drinks among college students. Thus, the specific
items regarding the subjects’ awareness of energy drinks
were examined. It was expected that the awareness of en-
ergy drinks would affect their knowledge of the in-
gredients of the energy drinks such as taurine and caf-
feine, reason for purchase, motive for consumption, and
consumption behaviors. With the consumers of energy
drinks are getting younger, the reasons for purchasing
energy drinks, consumption behaviors, and consumption
effects among college students, the major consumers,
were investigated to provide accurate knowledge and to
encourage the wholesome consumption of energy drinks.
METHODS
1. Study participants
This study includes a survey conducted from May to
June 2013, including 350 college students residing in
Seongnam, Gyeonggido. Of the 350 copies of the ques-
tionnaire, 335 were collected and 324 were statistically
analyzed with the other 11 excluded for incomplete
answers. This survey has not passed through the IRB ap-
proval procedure.
2. Survey contents
Five undergraduates from the Department of Healthcare
Management and one master’s student in healthcare poli-
cy and management from the College of Social Sciences
created the questionnaire, which consists of 25 questions
based on one thesis by Attila and Cakir14), Miller15) and
Reissig16). The articles by Attila and Cakir14) and Miller15)
were reviewed for the knowledge of energy drinks, the
levels of energy drinks recognizability, and consumption
patterns. The categories for knowledge and consumption
patterns of energy drinks were drawn from Attila’s work.
Similarly, Miller’s article15) was reviewed for variables of
consumption patterns. Reissig’s article16) was reviewed
for classification and types of energy drinks; and among
the indexes for the awareness levels in this study, the type
items were drawn from this article as well.
The items included personal information (3 questions),
awareness of energy drinks (6 questions), knowledge of
energy drinks (10 questions), and energy drink con-
sumption behaviors (6 questions).
1) Awareness
Regarding the awareness of energy drinks, the image
that subjects had about energy drinks were examined as
the basis of their judgment on how such drinks would af-
fect their health. They selected either a positive effect or a
negative effect. In this study, it was assumed that whether
the subjects had a positive or negative awareness of en-
ergy drinks would cause a difference in their knowledge
or consumption behaviors.
Awareness of energy drinks was assessed in the follow-
ing way: first, the respondents’ awareness levels were as-
sessed on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from ‘very
negative’ to ‘very positive’. Second, their awareness was
divided into positive (vitamin drinks or restorative
drinks) and negative (highly caffeinated drinks) based on
their definition of energy drinks. The definition of en-
ergy drinks was only used to check errors in responses.
2) Knowledge
To assess the level of knowledge of energy drinks, the

Yoo Jin Kim, et al. Awareness and Knowledge of Energy Drinks on Consumption Patterns
33
Tabl e 1 . Awareness and knowledge of energy drinks by study participants
Variables Awareness χ2PKnowledge χ2P
Positive Negative High Middle Low
Gender Male 61 (43.9) 78 (56.1) 12.465 <0.001 17 (9.1) 98 (52.7) 71 (38.2) 7.031 0.030
Female 19 (21.1) 71 (78.9) 4 (2.9) 67 (48.6) 67 (48.6)
Grade 1 , 2 37 (34.9) 69 (65.1) 0.000 0.993 10 (6.3) 82 (51.3) 68 (42.5) 0.033 0.983
3, 4 43 (35.0) 80 (65.0) 11 (6.7) 83 (50.6) 70 (42.7)
Consumption
experience
Ever 74 (37.8) 122 (62.2) 4.761 0.029 18 (6.6) 140 (51.1) 116 (42.3) 0.074 0.969
Never 6 (18.2) 27 (81.8) 3 (6.0) 25 (50.0) 22 (44.0)
Awareness: The level of positive or negative awareness of energy drinks.
Knowledge: The level of basic knowledge of energy drinks, including the recommended daily consumption amount and the caffeine content.
questionnaire asked if they knew the recommended
quantity of caffeine per day, the quantity of caffeine con-
tained in a bottle/can of energy drink, and other
questions. Knowledge was classified as high, middle, or
low. Of the 9 items (one item difficult to analyze was ex-
cluded), low was defined as 0-2 correct answers, middle
was 3-5 correct answers, and high was 6-9, with 3 being
the median.
3) Consumption behaviors
Motive and consumption behaviors including general
times, effects, and side effects were assessed.
Multiple-choice (categorical) questions were used to
assess consumption factors, consumption time, and con-
sumption effects.
4) Recognizability
Recognizability is defined as the extent of recognizing
a certain fact. This term is introduced to distinguish the
concept from that of awareness. Recognizability was as-
sessed with the question: do you know that the principal
ingredient of energy drinks is caffeine (or taurine)?
Recognizability of caffeine and taurine was assessed on a
five-point Likert scale, ranging from ‘have never heard’
to ‘know well’.
Awareness is a perceptional concept used in articles,
which refers to an understanding of an object; recogniz-
ability is a cognitive concept defined in this study.
3. Data analysis
Using IBM SPSS Statistics 19.0 (IBM Corp. Armonk,
NY, USA), the data of this study was analyzed as follows:
general characteristics of the subjects, the awareness and
knowledge of energy drinks were analyzed through the
cross analysis process; and to examine the difference in
their recognizability of caffeine and taurine, t-test was
conducted. The motives for consumption were analyzed
with multiple answers items. Lastly, the logistic re-
gression analysis was conducted to analyze the effects of
awareness and knowledge and general characteristics of
energy drinks on whether to consume energy drinks.
RESULTS
1. Awareness and Knowledge of Energy Drinks
1) Awareness of energy drinks by study participants
The level of awareness of energy drinks was classified
as positive or negative. As to the awareness of energy
drinks depending on the gender, 61 males showed pos-
itive awareness (43.9%) and 78 negative awareness
(56.1%). 19 females showed positive awareness (21.1%)
and 71 negative awareness (78.9%). The results showed
that this gender difference in awareness of energy drinks
was significant. As to the difference in awareness be-
tween the upper and lower grades, no statistical differ-
ence was found. For awareness of energy drinks depend-
ing on consumption experiences, among those who had
consumption experiences, 74 showed positive awareness
(37.8%) and 122 negative awareness (62.2%). Among
those without consumption experience, 6 showed pos-
itive awareness (18.2%) and 27 negative experience (81.8%).
The results showed that in general, those who were pos-
itive about energy drinks consumed more often than
those who were negative (Table 1).
2) Knowledge of energy drinks by study participants
The level of knowledge of energy drinks was classified
as high, middle, or low. As to knowledge of energy

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Korean J Health Promot Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015
Tabl e 2 . Recognizability of caffeine and taurine in energy drinks
Variable Caffeine Taurine
NM SD t
a
PNM SD taP
Gender Male 180 4.03 1.098 1.347 0.179 164 3.51 1.185 2.154 0.032
Female 135 3.87 1.071 105 3.21 1.044
Grade 1, 2 155 3.99 1.162 0.403 0.686 130 3.42 1.213 0.455 0.649
3, 4 160 3.94 1.014 139 3.36 1.070
Awareness Positive 78 4.45 1.136 3.229 0.001 71 3.89 1.271 3.433 0.001
Negative 148 3.96 .975 124 3.31 1.053
Abbreviations: M, mean; SD, standard deviation.
at value obtained from independent t-test.
Awareness: The level of positive or negative awareness of energy drinks.
Recognizability: The level of awareness of caffeine and taurine, which are principal ingredients of energy drinks.
Tabl e 3 . Reasons for using energy drinks
Variable Curiosity Suggestions
from others
Concentration
enhancement Habit Fatigue
recovery Feel good With friends To relieve
stress
Gender Male 36 (22.0) 24 (14.6) 48 (29.3) 6 (3.7) 131 (79.9) 6 (3.7) 10 (6.1) 11 (6.7)
Female 19 (17.3) 21 (19.1) 24 (21.8) 0 (0.0) 73 (66.4) 0 (0.0) 13 (11.8) 8 (7.3)
Grade 1, 2 27 (20.8) 18 (13.8) 35 (26.9) 3 (2.3) 104 (80.0) 4 (3.1) 13 (10.0) 5 (3.8)
3, 4 28 (19.4) 27 (18.8) 37 (25.7) 3 (2.1) 100 (69.4) 2 (1.4) 10 (6.9) 14 (9.7)
Awareness Positive 9 (12.2) 7 (9.5) 26 (35.1) 0 (0.0) 62 (83.7) 3 (4.1) 5 (6.8) 7 (9.5)
Negative 32 (26.2) 26 (21.3) 27 (22.1) 5 (4.1) 81 (66.4) 2 (1.6) 11 (9.0) 9 (7.4)
Knowledge High 2 (11.1) 3 (16.7) 8 (44.4) 1 (5.6) 15 (83.3) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 2 (11.1)
Middle 34 (24.3) 28 (20.2) 35 (25.0) 3 (2.1) 107 (76.4) 5 (3.6) 15 (10.7) 7 (5.0)
Low 19 (16.4) 14 (12.1) 29 (25.0) 2 (1.7) 82 (70.7) 1 (0.9) 8 (6.9) 10 (8.6)
Awareness: The level of positive or negative awareness of energy drinks.
Knowledge: The level of basic knowledge of energy drinks, including the recommended daily consumption amount and the caffeine content.
drinks and gender, 17 males had high level (9.1%), 98
middle level (52.7%), and 71 low level (38.2%). Of the fe-
males, 4 had high level (2.9%), 67 middle level (48.6%),
and 67 low level (48.6%). The results showed that there
was significant difference in knowledge of energy drinks
depending on the gender (P=.030). For knowledge of en-
ergy drinks and grades, there was little difference be-
tween the upper and lower grades. More than 90% of the
students had middle level knowledge of energy drinks,
which is statistically insignificant. As to knowledge and
consumption of energy drinks, the difference was small
and statistically insignificant (Table 1).
2. Recognizability of Caffeine and Taurine in Energy
Drinks
The difference in recognizability of caffeine depending
on the gender was found to be statistically insignificant,
as did the difference between the upper and lower grades.
The difference in recognizability of taurine depending on
the gender was statistically significant. The results showed
that men were more highly aware of taurine than women.
In contrast, the difference depending on the grades was
statistically insignificant (Table 2).
To compare the levels of recognizability of caffeine de-
pending on their awareness of energy drinks, t-test was
conducted, and the result was statistically significant. The
group with positive awareness of energy drinks showed a
higher level of recognizability of caffeine than the group
with negative awareness. Analysis of the difference in
recognizability of taurine depending on their awareness
of energy drinks showed statistically significance with
the group 'positive' to energy drinks more highly aware
of taurine than the group 'negative' (Table 2).
3. Effects on Energy Drink Consumption
1) Reasons for using energy drinks
As to the reasons of energy drinks consumption, the
multiple response cross analysis showed that among the
males, 131 stated ‘fatigue recovery’ (79.9%), 48 ' concen-
tration enhancement’ (29.3%), and 36 ‘curiosity’ (22.0%).
Among the females, 73 stated ‘fatigue recovery’ (66.4%),
24 ‘concentration enhancement’ (19.1%), and 21 'sugges-
tions from others' (19.1%). There was no difference in

Yoo Jin Kim, et al. Awareness and Knowledge of Energy Drinks on Consumption Patterns
35
Tabl e 4 . Factors affecting consumption of energy drink
Variable OR 95% CI P
Gender Male 0.97 (0.44-2.16) 0.940
Female - -
Gradea1, 2 0.50 (0.23-1.08) 0.077
3, 4 - -
Awareness Positive 2.75 (1.05-7.18) 0.039
Negative - -
Knowledge High 1.27 (0.25-6.48) 0.773
Middle 1.19 (0.54-2.63) 0.663
Low - -
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio.
aadjusted variable
Awareness: The level of positive or negative awareness of energy drinks.
Knowledge: The level of basic knowledge of energy drinks, including the recommended daily consumption amount and the caffeine content.
motives according to grades. The major reasons were
‘fatigue recovery’, ‘concentration enhancement,’ and
'curiosity', in this order (Table 3).
Among those with positive awareness of energy drinks,
62 stated ‘fatigue recovery’ (83.7%), 26 ‘concentration en-
hancement’ (35.1%), and 9 ‘curiosity’ (12.2%). Among
those with negative awareness, 81 stated ‘fatigue recov-
ery’ (66.4%), 32 ‘curiosity,’ (26.2%) 27 ‘concentration
enhancement,’ (22.1%), and 26 ‘suggestions from others’
(21.3%). Among those neutral to energy drinks, 61 stated
‘fatigue recovery’ (78.2), 19 ‘concentration enhancement’
(24.4%), and 14 ‘curiosity’ (17.0%) (Table 3).
Of those with a high level of knowledge of energy drinks,
15 stated ‘fatigue recovery’ (83.3%), 8 ‘concentration en-
hancement’ (44.4%), and 3 ‘suggestions from others’ (16. 7%).
Among those with middle level of knowledge, 107 stated
‘fatigue recovery’ (76.4%), 35 ‘concentration enhance-
ment’ (25.0%), and 34 ‘curiosity’ (24.3%). Among those
with low knowledge, 82 stated ‘fatigue recovery’
(70.7%), 29 ‘concentration enhancement’ (25.0%), and
19 ‘curiosity’ (16.4%) (Table 3).
2) Factors affecting consumption
To examine the effects of general characteristics of the
subjects and their awareness and knowledge on energy
drink consumption, the logistic regression analysis was
conducted. With the significance level at 0.05, awareness
was found to affect consumption. The study showed that
positive awareness facilitated energy drink consumption
2.75 times more than negative awareness. With the sig-
nificance level at 0.1, additional factors that caused a dif-
ference in energy drink consumption included grades
with younger students using energy drinks 0.49 times less
than older students (Table 4).
DISCUSSION
Those with positive awareness of energy drinks under-
stood the main elements of energy drinks- caffeine and
taurine, more accurately than those with negative
awareness. Thus, it is expected that they would show dif-
ferent behaviors in consumption. As the domestic con-
sumption of energy drinks increased drastically recently,
examined were the awareness and knowledge of energy
drinks and their major ingredients among college stu-
dents in their 20's, who are the major consumers, as well
as, the factors that would affect energy drink consumption.
The awareness of energy drinks in relation to their con-
sumption was statistically significant. The results showed
that those with positive awareness of energy drinks
would consume more than those with negative awareness.
As to the reason of high consumption rates in even some
of those with negative awareness, marketing methods
that would stimulate curiosity were examined. One of
the reasons of consumption despite negative awareness of
energy drinks is curiosity about trends of the public. In
the case of the U.S. market, the major target of energy
drinks in the early years was athletes, but it was expanded
to youths and young adults from 16 to 35 yrs.2,15)
Accordingly, the marketing methods including commer-
cials emphasized positive effects of drinks and attracted
curiosity.17) In particular, young consumers (aged 16-21)

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Korean J Health Promot Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015
view that consuming energy drinks would affect their so-
cial image positively and thus buy them more often.18) In
Korea as well, a similar trend is observed. Commercials
for energy drinks and social trends are thought to affect
consumption significantly.
Awareness of energy drinks did not correlate with
knowledge. Whether they had positive or negative
awareness of energy drinks, students were found to have
a low level of knowledge of energy drinks in general.
They did not know much about the major ingredients,
side effects, and appropriate consumption. Recently, as
media frequently reported side effects of energy drinks,
consumers developed a negative awareness of energy
drinks. In other words, as the side effects became a social
issue, more people had negative awareness. As a result,
while the market of energy drinks explosively expanding
from 2011 to 2012, sales turned downward in 2013.19)
There was no difference between male and female stu-
dents in the recognizability of caffeine, a major compo-
nent of energy drinks. Caffeine, an element commonly
used in various drinks, seemed familiar among both male
and female consumers. As it is found in coffee, tea, and
soft drinks that college students enjoy consuming, they
are highly exposed to caffeine. There was no statistically
significant difference in recognizability of caffeine de-
pending on the gender. In contrast, the difference in rec-
ognizability of taurine was found to be statistical ly significant.
Taurine is one of the major elements of energy drinks.
Men, who were found to work out or exercise more than
women, were likely to consume energy and sports drinks
more frequently. As women are less exposed to taurine,
the result was statistically significant. Thus, it was con-
cluded that men would be more exposed to taurine than
women.
The positive effects of taurine include better liver func-
tion through detoxification and antioxidant properties,
reduction of blood cholesterol, blood pressure control,
and enhancement of exercise adherence ability. It is re-
ported that taking taurine as a food additive causes little
harm to health.5),12)
Two of the major reasons given for energy drink con-
sumption were ‘fatigue recovery’ and ‘concentration en-
hancement’. According to one report from Nutrition,14)
college students in the U.S. consume energy drinks to
gain energy despite lack of sleep and drink alcohol with
better flavors whether they had positive or negative
awareness of them. Statistically, 67% stated 'because of
insufficient sleep,' 65% 'to gain more energy,' and 54%
'in a party'.20) The study showed that parents, doctors,
and teachers had little understanding of the reality in
consumption of energy drinks among youths, and that
the burdensome workload among college students in-
cluding young students lead to consumption of energy
drinks.
Awareness of energy drinks was found to affect con-
sumption. Namely, the study showed that positive
awareness of energy drinks facilitated consumption more
than negative awareness. This is because of the incorrect
recognition that energy drinks are a fatigue recovery
agent and that major elements of energy drinks would be
of help for fatigue recovery. Thus, it is vital to deliver ac-
curate knowledge of energy drinks in the future.
According to a recent study conducted by a research
team at Australian National University and published as
part of a journal entitled 'Alcoholism,' individuals who
mix and take in alcohol and energy drinks tend to drink
more than intended.21) In the future, behaviors of mixing
and consuming alcohol and energy drinks will continue
to be examined in recognition of the resulting risks.
Since last June when the revision of the Food
Sanitation Act was discussed, the regulations regarding
the use of energy drinks have been strengthened. The sale
of drinks with high caffeine contents popular as 'awaken-
ing drinks' among students is prohibited around schools,
and their promotion is limited to advertisements. Art. 8
(prohibition of sales of high calorie and low nutrition,
etc.) and Art. 10 (limitation to and prohibition of adver-
tisement) of the Special Act on Children Eating Habit
Safety Management (Korea Food & Drug Administration,
2013) were revised;22) and the amendment energy drinks
[high caffeine content drinks) were added to items sub-
ject to sales prohibition and advertisement limitation or
prohibition (2013.7.30. revised). According to the food
and medicine safety policies in 2013, from January of this
year, high caffeine content energy drinks including 0.15
㎎ caffeine per 1mL shall indicate 'high caffeine' and the
caffeine contents and include the statement that those
sensitive to caffeine should be careful when consuming.
There is an opinion that the name, energy drink, itself
needs to be changed to ‘caffeine drink’.23)

Yoo Jin Kim, et al. Awareness and Knowledge of Energy Drinks on Consumption Patterns
37
In this study, a survey was conducted among students.
After their knowledge of energy drinks was assessed, the
correct information on caffeine and taurine was provided
through an appendix in the latter part of the questionnaire.
In addition, there should be policies and initiatives that
help youths, the major consumers, acquire accurate knowl-
edge of energy drinks and consume them appropriately.
Currently, government agencies and the media are mak-
ing efforts toward appropriate regulation and promotion
of the use of energy drinks. Future studies need to in-
clude actual investigation on the side effects of each ele-
ment of energy drinks and ways to make known accurate
information regarding risks, as well as, the recommended
amount per day. In addition, efforts need to be made by
the government and consumers into effective and reason-
able consumption of energy drinks.
Since this survey was conducted among college students
living in Seongnam, Gyeonggido, it may not reflect the na-
tionwide characteristics. Nonetheless, this investigation
on the factors that affect energy drinks consumption be-
haviors is of significance in that it helps make known the
regulations concerning related markets, the high caffeine
content of energy drinks, and accurate knowledge of the
side effects and appropriate consumption.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study was supported by a grant from the National
R&D Program for Cancer Control, Ministry of Health
& Welfare, Republic of Korea (1420210) and the Basic
Science Research Program funded by Gachon University
(2014-R024).
요약
연구배경
: 본 연구에서는 에너지음료의 주 소비층인
대학생들에게 정확한 정보를 제공하고 올바른 에너지음
료 의 섭 취 의 지침 을 마 련하 고자 대학 생들 의 에 너 지음 료
섭취행태, 에너지음료에 대한 인식 및 지식에 대해 조사
하였다.
방법
: 본 연구의 대상자는 2013년 3월부터 6월까지 경
기도 성남지역의 남자 186명, 여자 138명으로 총 324명
을 대상으로 자기기입식 설문지를 활용하였다.
결과
: 성별에 따른 에너지음료에 대한 인식 결과, 남자
는 부정적 인식 56.5% (78/139), 여자는 78.9% (71/90)로
인식의 차이가 있는 것으로 나타났다(P=.001). 에너지음
료의 인식에 따른 타우린의 인지 결과, 인식이 긍정적인
집단의 평균은 3.89이고 부정적인 집단의 평균은 3.31로
차이가 있는 것으로 나타났다(P=.001). 에너지음료에 대
한 인식의 odds ratio는 2.75 (95% CI:1.05- 7.18)로 긍정
적 인식이 부정적 인식보다 더 많이 섭취하는 것으로 나
타났다(P=.039).
결론
: 본 에너지음료의 섭취 행태에 미치는 영향에 대
한 조사연구를 통해 에너지음료는 고카페인 음료라는
꾸준한 홍보뿐만 아니라, 그 부작용과 올바른 소비 형태
에 대한 정확한 지식의 제공이 중요함을 일깨운 연구라
는 데에 의의가 있겠다.
중심단어
: 에너지음료, 카페인, 섭취행태, 인식, 대학생
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