A survey of energy drinks consumption practices among student -athletes in Ghana: lessons for developing health education intervention programmes

A total number of 180 student-athletes gave their consent to participate in the study and completed a questionnaire which was administered during an inter-university sports competition.Most of the participants (62.2%) reported consuming at least one can of energy drink in a week. A high proportion (53.6%) of the respondents who drink energy drinks indicated that they did so to replenish lost energy after training or a competition. Other reasons given as to why energy drinks were consumed by the study participants included to provide energy and fluids to the body (25.9%), to improve performance (9.8%) and to reduce fatigue (5.4%).These results suggest the need to plan health education programmes to particularly correct some wrong perceptions that athletes have regarding the benefits of energy drinks and also create awareness among student-athletes about the side effects of excessive intake of energy drinks.The term "energy drink" refers to soft drinks believed to reduce or prevent fatigue, enhance physical performance, enhance disposition and improve cognitive performance [1]. Energy drinks are frequently consumed by athletes prior to competitions with a view to improving their performance [2]. The belief in energy drinks is held by most athletes, particularly because the term "energy drink" conveys a message that the product has a connection with physical activity. Consequently, an uninformed consumer may assume that some benefits would be derived after consuming these beverages [3]. Paddock [3] indicated that the drive to improve athletic performance and exhibit one's athletic identity could influence student-athletes in particular to consume energy drinks at a relatively higher level than the student population in general. Most energy drinks contain whopping quantities of sugar (up to a quarter of a cup per can) and caffeine, the main active ingredient, although other substances such as taurine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, nicotinamide, B vitamins, and various stimula