Awareness toward Energy Drinks among Tikrit University Students

Energy drinks related to a group of products, in form of liquid, whichmainly consist of caffeine, which may contain other added dietary supplements. These drinks may be one cause of serious side effects if used in large doses or for long period especially in children, adolescents, diabetics or patients with certain diseases like heart disease.

The study is cross-sectional conducted in in Tikrit University from 20^th November 2017 to 31^st of March 2018. Thesample of 300 students were chosen by clusters then simple random sampling was chosen from each cluster. Data were collected by self administered questionnaire. Data were presented and analyzed statistically.

This study found that 61% of the students in the sample did not recognize the energy drinks. The percentage of energy drinks consumers was 12% with male predominance. Most common reasons behind energy drink consumption were to improve concentration and wakefulness (64% of consumers). Most of the students that do not drink the energy drinks either because they do not know what are these drinks (in 34%) or because of their fear of being addicted to them (in 20%).

Energy drinksawareness and its effects between Tikrit University students is poor. A considerable percentage of students drink the energy beverages and the most common reasons were to increase concentration and improve wakefulness. The students do not drink these beverages mostly either because they do not know what are these drinks or their fear of beingaddicted to them.