• Mohamudha Parveen Rahamathulla.
• Dr. Mohamudha Parveen Rahamathulla, PhD, Department of Medical Lab Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Wadi Al Dawaser-11991, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Pak J Med Sci. 2017 Mar 1; 33 (2): 347-352.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the consumption, prevalence, side effects and awareness of energy drinks among female university students in Saudi Arabia.MethodsA quantitative research design was implied with sample size of 358 female students, recruited from Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University. The data, gathered through self-administered questionnaire, was analyzed through SPSS version 20.0 with p value <0.005 deemed statistically significant.ResultsFrom the sample of 358 female students, 337 attempted the questionnaire from which 274 students were identified as energy drink consumers. The reasons for increased consumption of energy drinks mainly include giving company to friends (59.4%), better performance in exams (41.2%), and better concentration in studies (39.4%). The most common side effect was headache (32.3%), and the least was identified as allergy (2%). Only 39.4% and 29.9% of students acquired awareness regarding the harmful effects of energy drink consumption during pregnancy and breast feeding respectively.ConclusionA significant proportion of female students at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz have reported to consume energy drinks regularly with several adverse effects. The government of Saudi Arabia should take serious initiatives towards organizing effective awareness programs specifically in universities and colleges to control the consumption of energy drinks and educate on the adverse effects.

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