Introduction: The consumption of energy drinks and its mix with alcohol has been associated with negative and violent behaviors in youngsters. Objective: To determine the risk-taking behaviors associated with the consumption of energy drinks mixed with alcohol in Costa Rican adolescents. Methods: A mixed cross-sectional study was performed with a population of 2667 students of 64 educative centers in 2016. Descriptive statistics were performed with the program SPSS 20.0 and a value of p ˂ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The third part of the study population is usually a consumer of energy drinks (30%) and 3% make use of drinks mixed with alcohol. The children and adolescents, who consume energy-alcohol mixed drinks, are more likely to present risk-taking behaviors than those who do not consume these mixed beverages: combined use of medicines to get high; cocaine consumption, consumption of cement/glue, consumption of marijuana, physical violence (fighting), use of weapons, suicidal ideation, deliberate self-harm, low educational expectation, sexual intercourses, cyberbullying and school apathy. The students perceived the intake of energy beverages as of low risk for their health. They also agree that frequent consumption is because drinks have good flavors and nice logo designs and the ability to stay awake and with more energy for longer periods of time in order to improve in academic homework, sports performance and to endure more the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Conclusions: Public health policies should consider controlling the publicity aimed to children and adolescents regarding the marketing of energy and alcoholic drinks.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.