Association of Caffeine Consumption and Self-Rated Health among Young and Older Adults

Background: European Food Safety Authority (EFSA 2015) reported that moderate daily caffeine consumption at levels up to 400 mg/day do not raise safety concerns and not associated with adverse effects in healthy adult population. While, high levels of caffeine consumption have been linked to a variety of illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Despite these findings, there remains a gap in research relating to whether caffeine consumption adversely affects one‟s wellbeing as measured by overall self-rated health. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the association of caffeine consumption and self-rated health among young and older adults. Settings: Four faculties in the Alexandria University which are Faculty of Commerce, Education, Dentistry and Pharmacy & Six clubs for older adults in Alexandria namely; El-Saada, El-Wafaa, El-Hayia Wl-Amal, El-Omr El-Zahaby, El-Hanan and El-Wedad club. Subjects:Eight hundred college students in 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th grades, &150 older adults. Tools:(1)Young and Older Adults‟ Characteristics Structured Questionnaire Sheet, it includes three parts; sociodemographic & life style, anthropometric measurements & self-rated health.(2)Young and Older Adults‟ structured Questionnaire Sheet, it includes two parts; Knowledge & awareness and caffeine consumption. (3) Focus Group Discussion Guide. Results: Both groups of young and older adults consume high level of total caffeine /day, which may contribute to increased percent of caffeine toxicity and withdrawal symptoms. There is a statistically significant difference between them p = 0.042. The main sources of caffeine consumption among both groups were tea, coffee and medications. Higher caffeine consumption among young and older adults is associated with poor self-rated health. Conclusion: There is an association between caffeine consumption in both groups and their self-rated health. Poor level of knowledge regarding caffeine was observed in the higher consumers for both groups. Caffeine consumption is also associated with poor lifestyle as smoking, lower tendency to exercise regularly, irregular sleeping habits, overweight and obesity. Recommendations: Awareness program and education is needed to correct the misconceptions college students and older adults have regarding certain aspects of caffeine, to reduce its use and mitigate potential harms.