Teen Sport, Energy Drink Intake Tied to Unhealthy Behaviors

WEDNESDAY, May 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For adolescents, sports and energy drink (SED) consumption is related to unhealthy behaviors, including smoking and video game use, according to a study published in the May-June issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

Nicole Larson, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N.D., from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and colleagues examined patterns and behavioral correlates for adolescent SED consumption. Data were collected from a population-based study involving 2,793 adolescent (53.2 percent girls) in grades six to 12.

The researchers found that more than one-third of adolescents consumed sports drinks and 14.7 percent consumed energy drinks once or more per week. Correlations were seen for both sports and energy drink consumption with higher video game use, sugar-sweetened beverage and fruit juice intake, and smoking (P < 0.05) in boys and girls. For both genders, sports drink consumption correlated with higher moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and organized sport participation (P < 0.01).

"Although sports drink consumption was associated with higher moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, adolescents should be reminded of recommendations to consume these beverages only after vigorous, prolonged activity," the authors write. "There is also a need for future interventions designed to reduce SED consumption, to address the clustering of unhealthy behaviors."

Abstract
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