Objectives: Examine energy drink/shot and regular and diet soft
drink use among United States secondary school students in 2010-
2011, and associations between such use and substance use.
Methods: We used self-reported data from cross-sectional surveys
of nationally representative samples of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade
students and conducted multivariate analyses examining associations
between beverage and substance use, controlling for individual and
school characteristics.
Results: Approximately 30% of students reported consuming energy
drinks or shots; more than 40% reported daily regular soft drink
use, and about 20% reported daily diet soft drink use. Beverage
consumption was strongly and positively associated with past 30-
day alcohol, cigarette, and illicit drug use. The observed associations
between energy drinks and substance use were significantly stronger
than those between regular or diet soft drinks and substance use.
Conclusions: This correlational study indicates that adolescent consumption
of energy drinks/shots is widespread and that energy drink
users report heightened risk for substance use. This study does not
establish causation between the behaviors. Education for parents and
prevention efforts among adolescents should include education on
the masking effects of caffeine in energy drinks on alcohol- and other
substance-related impairments, and recognition that some groups
(such as high sensation–seeking youth) may be particularly likely
to consume energy drinks and to be substance users