Energy Drinks Among Primary School Pupils: Consumptions and Awareness of Adverse Effects

Energijske pijače so na voljo v več kot 140 državah po svetu in polovico potrošnikov teh pijač predstavljajo otroci in mladostniki. Magistrska naloga preučuje pogostost uživanja energijskih pijač z visoko vsebnostjo kofeina med osnovnošolci, razloge za njihovo uživanje ter osveščenost osnovnošolcev o neželenih učinkih teh pijač na zdravje. Raziskava obsega anonimno anketiranje osnovnošolcev v starosti 11-14 let v letu 2018, v skupnem številu 141 učencev na dveh osnovnih šolah (mestni in podeželski) v Sloveniji. Rezultati raziskave so pokazali, da je 63 % anketirancev poskusilo energijsko pijačo, vsak peti osnovnošolec (20 % od vseh anketirancev) uživa eno pločevinko 250 ml energijske pijače dnevno, 4 % anketirancev poroča, da so zaužili energijsko pijačo v zadnjih 24 urah, 11 % pa v zadnjih 7 dneh. Uživanje več kot ene 500 ml pločevinke, ki presega največji priporočljivi vnos za zdrave, odrasle osebe, smo ugotovili pri 1 % anketirancev. 67 % anketirancev ne ve, da energijske pijače vsebujejo kofein. Več kot 90 % osnovnošolcev se zaveda, da so energijske pijače zdravju škodljive, le tretjina pa jih je označila, da so prebrali deklaracijo na energijski pijači. Uporabili smo test Hi-kvadrat za ugotavljanje povezanosti dveh spremenljivk in Spearmanov koeficient korelacije rangov, za ugotavljanje stopnje monotone povezanosti izbranih spremenljivk. Raziskava opozarja na problem prekomernega uživanja energijskih pijač med osnovnošolci. Kaže tudi na potrebo po izobraževalnih programih o energijskih pijačah in njihovem vplivu na zdravje. Izobraževalni programi bi bili potrebni za večjo osveščenost v skupnosti ter za morebitne nove zakonske okvire glede omejitev uživanja energijskih pijač med otroki in mladostniki.Energy drinks are available to buy in more than 140 countries, and half of the consumers are children, adolescents and young adults. The master\u27s thesis focuses on the frequency of using high-caffeinated energy drinks among primary school pupils, the reasons for their use, and the awareness of primary school pupils about the adverse effects of these drinks on their health. The study includes an anonymous poll of primary school pupils aged 11-14 and was conducted in 2018, with a total of 141 pupils at two primary schools (urban and rural) in Slovenia. The results showed: 63% of the respondents have used an energy drink, each fifth elementary school student (20 % of all respondents) drinks one of 250 ml energy drink per day, 4 % of respondents reported consuming an energy drink in the last 24 hours and 11 % of respondents in the last 7 days. Consumption of more than 500 ml of energy drink per day, which exceeds the maximum recommended daily intake for healthy adults, was found in 1 % of respondents. 67 % of respondents did not know that energy drinks contain caffeine. More than 90 % of primary school pupils are aware that energy drinks are harmful to their health, and only a third have indicated that they have read the energy drink declaration. We used the Hi-square test to determine potential relationships between two variables and the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to determine the degree of monotone correlation between the selected variables. This research highlights attention to the problem of excessive consumption of energy drinks among primary school pupils. It also indicates the need for educational programs about the consumption of energy drinks and their impact on health, for a greater awareness in the community, and legislative frameworks to limit the consumption of energy drinks among children and adolescents