Factors and perceptions associated with energy drink consumption among undergraduate students attending a rural university: a descriptive study

Objectives: This study examined the prevalence, patterns, and knowledge of Energy Drink (ED) consumption among undergraduate students. Participants: Participants included students (n = 373) attending a medium-sized rural university in Texas. Methods: Students were surveyed anonymously using convenience sampling and a cross-sectional design with 15 items structured questionnaire. Results: Nearly 90% of the study participants (N = 373) were between 18-24 years. Among the consumers (n = 165), the majority were females (80%) and Caucasian (73%). About 60% of them lived on campus, 22% were engaged in some type of sports activity, and primarily represented the freshmen (42%) and sophomore (25%) population. Having apriori knowledge of the negative health effects of EDs was associated with their consumption [OR: 0.40, CI: (0.22, 0.72)]. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need to establish programs and policies on campus to address ED consumption issues and create educational campaigns to inform the undergraduate population attending a rural university.