Topic > Why Energy Drinks Should Be Banned: Research Study

IndexIntroductionReview of Related Literature on Energy DrinksMethodology and Study DesignProposed Treatment of DataWorks CitedIntroductionThe most consumed drug in human history is caffeine, and over 80% of the world's population consumes it uses . Consumption of caffeinated beverages such as energy drinks, coffee, and soft drinks among Filipinos also continues to increase [1]. To date, the Philippines has several energy and sports drinks available in the market, with Asia Brewery Inc. as the leading manufacturer generating the highest sales [2]. Energy drinks have continued to gain popularity and those popular with consumers include Cobra®, Sting®, Samurai®, Lipovitan® and Powerade®, with Red Bull® having the highest market share of any energy drink globally . However, excessive consumption of energy drinks, especially among young people, has raised concerns about their safety and potential health risks. This has led to debates about why energy drinks should be banned to protect public health and welfare [3] [4]. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Perceived stress is defined as the feelings or thoughts an individual has about how much stress they are under at a given time or over a given period of time. It is not about identifying the types or frequencies of stressful events that occur, but rather how a person feels about the general stress in their life and how they can manage that stress [5]. Nowadays, college students are very vulnerable to stress due to the academic challenges and requirements they face in their daily lives. Many studies show the presence of relatively high levels of distress, including symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts, among undergraduate medical students. Said discomfort for medical students can cause possible negative effects such as impaired functioning in the classroom and in clinical practice, stress-induced disorders and deterioration of general performance. Furthermore, perceived medical stress has also been linked to current mental distress and even possible health problems [6]. The demand for students to study for long periods of time, especially during periods of increased workload such as times before exams or quizzes, is very high in tertiary education. This is especially true in the case of students enrolled in medical courses who must master an enormous amount of information in a limited period of time. As a result, this creates a perceived need for a student to consume caffeine to finish schoolwork. However, caffeine-induced improvements in performance and mood, often perceived by individuals, do not represent the full benefits. Additionally, a study on the effects of caffeine among non-retired volunteers found that mood and performance on cognitive measures improved after caffeine consumption. But the same study shows that caffeine can reliably affect cognitive performance and mood only if dosing intervals are more than eight hours apart. Therefore, caffeine consumers should be advised not to consume caffeine in repeated doses in a short period of time, especially when they lack sleep [7]. This study may also benefit others due to the lack of research on caffeine consumption in the Philippines and its various types of consumption. effects on academic performanceof students and perceived stress. Furthermore, it is necessary to determine the caffeine consumption of medical laboratory science students, as well as determine their knowledge of its benefits, side effects for academics, or perceived stress and withdrawal symptoms, if any. Findings regarding this topic may reflect the number of students exposed to caffeine and whether their general knowledge about caffeine needs to be addressed. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships regarding perceived stress, consumption of caffeinated beverages, and academic performance among college students. We need to know whether there is a relationship between perceived stress and the consumption of caffeinated beverages, as well as whether the consumption of caffeinated beverages and academic performance have a relationship. Review of related literature on energy drinks Barcellona et al. (2014) with a recent study presented the prevalence of energy drink consumption among college students and young professionals in Metro Manila. The frequency of energy drink consumption reported significant consumption from once to twice a week for college students and from once a week to more than 3 times a week for young professionals, where the main reason is to work overtime for a course project or office work [2]. Furthermore, Lee (2009) conducted research where the participation of the entire target population of first to third year medical students was 90.4% and based on the high response rate from each academic year, it is It was stated that the results obtained from this survey were representative of the target population. The results of the study revealed that 93.6% of the 360 ​​participants used caffeine, and this information is consistent with the belief that caffeine is one of the most consumed substances in history. Academic purposes, selected by 62.6% of participants, were the third most common reason for caffeine consumption in the target population. The results obtained from this study clearly showed that caffeine consumption for academic purposes, especially in the form of coffee, increased as students advanced academically in their medical course. This study also shows that most participants consumed caffeine without sufficient knowledge of its benefits, side effects, and withdrawal symptoms [7]. Champlin et al. (2016) reported that despite widely reported side effects of energy drinks, their use has increased among college students, who reported consuming energy drinks to help them complete schoolwork. However, according to Champlin, only little is known about the association between energy drink consumption and academic performance. In this study, they explored the relationship between energy drink consumption and current academic grade point average (GPA) among first-year college students. The authors measured energy drink consumption using two measures: one is the past month's consumption based on the number of drinks that are usually consumed in 1 month and another is the number consumed during the last drinking occasion. They used a multiple linear regression model with energy drink consumption and current student GPA, controlling for gender, race, weekend and weekday sleep duration, perceived stress, perceived stress coping, media use, and alcohol consumption in the last month. The study results show that amount of energy drink consumption in the past month based on frequency (pAdditionally, a study by Owens (2014) revealed that adolescents consume caffeine, thinking they canimprove both their performance and mood, as well as managing the effects of chronic sleep insufficiency, but the evidence that consuming high-caffeine drinks actually improves performance or reverses sleepiness is actually scant. This research also shows that laboratory studies regarding performance enhancement in adults often show improved attention and psychomotor skills, but also show mixed effects on short- and long-term memory and complexes. cognitive functions Studies examining the effect of energy drinks on the performance of young adults have shown a decrease in reaction time, an increase in subjective alertness, improvements in memory and concentration, and an increase in aerobic and anaerobic endurance, however it is also important to keep in mind that not all studies. found positive effects on psychomotor function [9]. According to the study by Rios etal., (2013) university students are always influenced by different stressors that arise both from different aspects of their lives and from society. Academic stress often breeds difficulty, thus creating an unwanted impact on the quality of life of many, especially college students. The results were able to determine that the majority of students participating in this study perceived their academic load and stress levels as heavy and moderate, respectively. Furthermore, this study shows that consuming caffeinated beverages is a popular practice among participants. However, this study shows that no association was found between the consumption of caffeinated beverages and stress or academic load. The most popular caffeinated beverages consumed by the aforementioned participants were soft drinks and coffee, and their consumption increased during times of high stress. A similar result was also found in a study conducted in two medical schools in Puerto Rico, where researchers found high consumption among students of products containing caffeine. The same study also found that students used these drinks to stay awake, which is similar for one of the main reasons mentioned above. Related to perceived stress, a study conducted with North Carolina college students found that 24% of participants reported consuming 1 or more energy drinks in the past 30 days. Furthermore, in the previously mentioned study, researchers were able to find a positive correlation between participants' perceived stress and energy drink consumption [10]. Petit's (2011) study was shown to be consistent with other researchers' hypotheses that there were relationships between perceived stress and selected energy drink consumption products. This research reveals that, in particular, participants who reported higher levels of perceived stress reported consuming at least 1 energy drink more often in the past 30 days. Participants with higher levels of perceived stress also revealed higher averages for the days per week they had consumed energy drinks in the past 30 days. Additionally, participants who were characterized by higher levels of perceived stress reported consuming a greater number of energy drinks on any occasion in the past 30 days. As evidenced by the previously stated results, they concluded that perceived stress may be a likely determinant of energy drink consumption among college students. The association between perceived stress and energy drink consumption is found to bealso proportional to other research linking stress to substance use. Additionally, the relationship between participants' academic performance and the greatest number of energy drinks consumed on any occasion in the past 30 days was notable. Interestingly, the relationship was negative, thus suggesting that when energy drink consumption decreases on any occasion, academic performance in return increases. This finding could perhaps be indicative of students' tendency to procrastinate and consume more energy drinks when preparing for stressful events such as exams, quizzes, or deadlines for important subjects. Researchers have indicated that students perform effectively when they approach academics through “distributed” versus “massed” practice, as well as when they adopt healthy habits such as eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Caffeine consumption obviously interferes with healthy habits. Methodology and Study Design The participants selected for this study would be students of different year levels enrolled in the Medical Laboratory Science program at Saint Louis University, located in Baguio City, Philippines. An equal number of students at each grade level, regardless of gender and race, would be randomly selected to be part of the sample. Additionally, all participating students must be at least 18 years old. All students who are enrolled and have completed subjects and units for the semester in question will be able to participate in the study. However, students who have decreased subjects or units will not be part of the study to avoid any bias related to the difficulty of the academic load. Students who participate in the study will be issued an informed consent document indicating that their participation was voluntary and anonymous. Furthermore, students who cannot enroll for health reasons, such as pregnancy or other health problems, will not be included in the study. An observational epidemiological study will be carried out, specifically using a cross-sectional approach to examine a total of 800 study participants in which an anonymous self-administered questionnaire will be used to determine the amount of caffeine consumed and self-perceived stress. The perceived stress questionnaire will be adapted from the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), which is the most widely used psychological scale tool for measuring the perception of stress. It is a measure of the degree of stress a person perceives in their life. The questionnaire items were created to see how unpredictable, uncontrollable and overloaded an individual will find their life. The PSS was designed for use in community samples with at least a high school education. The items can be easily understood and the response alternatives are simple to understand. Furthermore, the questions are of a general nature. The questions in the PSS cover feelings and thoughts during the past month. In each case, respondents are asked how often they feel a certain way [11]. Furthermore, a questionnaire on the consumption of caffeinated beverages will also be distributed among students who answer "Yes" to the question whether they consume caffeinated beverages. This will be used to determine how prevalent the consumption of caffeinated beverages is among college students and which type of beverage was the most common in this population, as well as the amount of intake in ml and the average number of times per month for the semester in course students consume caffeinated beverages. Additionally, participants' grade point average (GPA) will be measured or also known at each end of term during the semester (2011)., 52(3), 373-382.