Predictors Of Caffeine Consumption Patterns In High School Athletes

Caffeine is the most widely used supplement by athletes. Caffeine’s benefits and its accessibility have led to increased consumption in young adults, despite limited research on athletic performance, efficacy, and possible side effects in this population. In addition, little research has been published examining the patterns of consumption in young athletes. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine caffeine consumption and the factors that affect caffeine use in high school athletes. METHODS: Three hundred and ninety-seven Rhode Island high school athletes (age: 17.1±1.2 years) completed a cross-sectional online survey to assess caffeine consumption. A multivariable logistic regression analysis and binary logistic regression were performed to characterize associations between use and non-use and the independent variables of ethnicity, grade, sex, and sport played. 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for all models. A chi-square test was run to compare caffeine use across grades. Statistical significance was set to p≤0.05 for all analysis. RESULTS: Fifty-nine percent of the variance in caffeine use was related to ethnicity, grade, age, and sex (R Square = 0.051), with significant results for sex and ethnicity. A majority of young women consumed caffeine (67.4%), compared to young men (37.8%) (p<0.001). Athletes identifying as Caucasian reported caffeine use (56%), compared to athletes from underrepresented backgrounds (33%), however the difference was not significant (95% CI, 0.86-4.44). Caffeine use was significantly different across grades, where 30.6% of 9th graders, 49.2% of 10th graders, 55.2% of 11th graders, and 49.2% of 12th graders reported caffeine use (p=0.049). Coffee and tea (31%), as well as energy drinks (15.6%) were the primary sources of consumption. Dance, cheerleading, and gymnastics participants were more than ten times as likely to consume caffeine (95% CI [2.28-48.94], odds ratio = 10.57). CONCLUSION: Caffeine use in young athletes is related to factors including sex and ethnicity. Given the prevalence of use, young athletes, coaches, and parents/guardians should be educated on the risks and benefits of caffeine use. Future research should focus on the potential benefits of caffeine use to athletic performance verses possible side effects in this population. The Clean Competition Grant, the Rhode Island Foundation