Exploring Caffeine Consumption Among Undergraduates

Publication Date

2026

Presentation Length

Poster/Gallery presentation

College

<-- Please Select One -->

Department

Public Health, Department of

Student Level

Undergraduate

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Christian Williams

Presentation Type

Poster

Summary

Introduction

Caffeine consumption is prominent among young adults; however, overconsumption, over 400 milligrams, can lead to adverse health outcomes. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the relationship between caffeine consumption habits and adverse health outcomes.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate students at a private Christian liberal arts university in Nashville, Tennessee during the fall 2025 semester. Participants were recruited through randomly selected instructors who were asked to share the Qualtrics link with students. The 8-item survey included questions from the Caffeine Withdrawal Symptom Questionnaire coupled with study-specific question on caffeine access and consumption. All descriptive analyses were completed in Excel.

Results

The final sample size included 39 participants. 20.5% of participants identified as male and 79.5% identified as female. Juniors were 30.7% of the population with freshmen being the second most prominent academic status at 28.2%. Of the participant, 97.4% reported that caffeine is very easily accessible on campus. Regardless of gender and academic major, 76.9% of the population reported drinking 1-2 caffeinated beverages daily. Coffee and soft drinks were reported as the most consumed caffeinated beverages; however, energy drinks, tea, chocolate, and pre-workout were also reported. Surprisingly, a Chi Square test indicated that there was no significant relationship between upperclassmen or underclassmen and their experiences with the top four adverse health factors from the literature.

Conclusion

This study contributes to existing literature by highlighting that caffeine consumption and health concerns are common among undergraduate students and not limited to specific academic disciplines. Findings support the need for campus-wide education on healthy caffeine habits for students to maintain good discernment regarding caffeine consumption. Future research should include larger, more diverse samples and greater representation of high-consumption groups to better analyze relationships among variables.

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