Patterns of Caffeine Use in Adolescents and Their Association with Sleep Quality: A Latent Class Analysis

BACKGROUND: Although there is substantial evidence of the negative impact of caffeine use on sleep quality, few studies focus specifically on adolescents' patterns of use. This study aimed to identify patterns of caffeine use among adolescents and analyze their association with sleep quality. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in southern Sweden including 1,404 adolescents aged 15-17 (56.3% girls). The frequency of use for coffee, tea, and energy drinks was evaluated, as well as the quality of sleep and its dimensions. Latent class analysis and multivariate analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The weekly prevalence of caffeine use in adolescents reached 85% (n = 1189), with 40% (n = 559) drinking almost every day. Three caffeine-using patterns were identified: low probability caffeine use (28.1%; n = 393) characterized by sporadic use of coffee/tea, caffeinated soda use (55.2%; n = 784) related to high soda weekly consumption, and mixed caffeine use (16.7%; n = 227) that includes drinking diverse caffeine products almost every day including soda and energy drinks. Mixed caffeine pattern was associated to worse sleep followed by the soda pattern (p < .05), with significant differences observed in difficulties falling asleep (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.1-1.7) or waking up (OR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.4-2.4), greater daytime dysfunction (OR = 1.3; 95% CI = 1.1-1.7), and shorter sleep duration on schooldays (OR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.5-2.4). CONCLUSION: Distinct severity levels were found for caffeine use patterns among adolescents based on their association with sleep quality. Findings emphasize the need for addressing caffeine misuse among adolescents to promote health and adequate sleep habits in the transition to adulthood.