Caffeine Consumption and General Health in Secondary School Children: A Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Analysis

Abstract

Although caffeine is sometimes associated with beneficial effects in adults, the substance may be dangerous if intake is too high. This concern is particularly relevant in regards to children and adolescents, as consumption of energy drinks may be particularly high in such populations. For this reason, the current study examined data from the Cornish Academies Project to determine whether caffeine intake in secondary school children was related to responses to a single-item measure of general health. Two cross-sections of data were available: questionnaires were completed by 2030 at baseline, by 2307 at 6-month follow-up, and by 1660 at both time-points. Relationships were, therefore, explored both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. High caffeine consumption (i.e., 1000 mg/week) was associated with low general health in both cross-sections of data, and analyses of individual caffeine sources suggested that the effects related specifically to cola and energy drinks. However, after controlling for additional aspects of diet, demography, and lifestyle, total weekly intake only remained significantly associated with general health at the latter time-point. Further to this, null findings from cross-lag and change-score analyses suggest that caffeine and general health were unlikely to be causally linked in this sample. However, due to methodological limitations, such as the two cross-sections of data being collected only 6 months apart, it is suggested that further longitudinal and intervention studies are required in order for firm conclusions to be drawn.

Associations between Health-Related Behaviours, Well-Being, and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students with Special Educational Need: A Secondary Analysis

“…This article presents secondary analyses of the Cornish Academies Project [19,[28][29][30][31], a longitudinal study with time points six months apart, investigating the relationship between healthrelated behaviours and well-being and educational outcomes for secondary students with SEN [38]. The students were classified as having SEN based on information from the School Information Management System (SIMS), but there was no further information on the type of SEN. Information from the teachers suggested that the types of SEN represented in the sample were mainly autism, ADHD and mental health problems.…”

“…These mental health questions were taken from the Well-being Process Questionnaire [11]. Finally, participants were asked two questions, the first to indicate how many hours per night they typically slept and the second to indicate how well they rated their overall health over the past six months (1 = very good, 2 = good, 3 = fair, 4 = poor, 5 = very poor) [38].…”

Comments on “Caffeine intake and cognitive functions in children by Zhang, Lee and Qiu”

“…Caffeine intake is also associated with both health-related behaviours (e.g. sleep, Richards and Smith, 2016b) and health (Richards & Smith, 2016, b, c, d)…”

Radiographic analysis of teeth calcification of breastfed rat cubs of mothers consuming excessive Arabica coffee

“…5 It is found in common beverages and products such as coffee, tea, and soft drinks, along with cocoa and chocolate, and various pharmaceutical and dietary supplements. 6 In Indonesia, there are many types of Arabica coffee, especially in East Java. Arabica coffee has a higher caffeine content than Liberica type, but lower than Robusta type coffee.…”