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 Effect of Caffeine Consumption on Student Health and GPA among Rowan University StudentsHLT 00227-1: Consumer Health DecisionsDoctor JoAnne BullardDaniel SmithIntroductionCaffeine is one of the most widely used drugs in the world, popular for the positive effects including an increase in perceived wakefulness, alertness and concentration. Caffeine also has known negative effects on mood, disturbed sleep, and an energy “crash” when it wears off (Bedi, R.P. 2009). College students will consume caffeine to make up for lack of sleep, to stay awake and concentrate in class, and to focus on assignments. Depending on the amount of caffeine consumed students may experience disturbed sleep, changes in mood, and energy crashes. The purpose of this study was to look at caffeine consumption among Rowan University students and the effects on mood, academic performance, and sleep. Caffeine users and non-users will be surveyed to collect data from both groups. The study attempted to answer the question “Is there a correlation between caffeine consumption and student Health and GPA?” Research QuestionWhat is the effect of caffeine consumption on GPA for Rowan University Students?What is the effect of caffeine consumption on amount of sleep for Rowan University Students?What is the effect of caffeine consumption on energy levels of Rowan University Students?What is the effect of caffeine consumption on moods of Rowan University Students?Is there a difference in male and female caffeine consumption among Rowan University Students?Is there a difference between male and female average GPA among Rowan University Students?Significance StatementWith the popularity of caffeine this study is important because it will give comparative benefits of consuming and not consuming caffeine. The results of this study will give students the pros and cons of caffeine and allow them to make an informed decisions about it’s usefulness to their academic life.Literature ReviewIn the study “Caffeine Withdrawal, Cost or Benefit?” by Lack, researchers collect data from 23 young caffeine consumers. They keep a record of their caffeine consumption and give out online assessments measuring things such as headaches, alertness, moods, sleep, and daytime functioning. This study lasted six weeks starting with normal caffeine consumption and then going through a withdrawal week and then continuing to collect data for four weeks after withdrawal. The withdrawal week resulted in many negative side effects in daytime functioning, moods, and sleep. After four weeks of abstaining from caffeine all levels returned to normal and some even saw a slight, but insignificant improvement after abstaining (Lack, 2013).In the Journal of Vision study researchers compared the effects of a nap, caffeine, and modafinil tested on memory. They performed a double blind study and had participants perform certain tests both before and after either napping or receiving caffeine, modafinil, or a placebo. The results were compared and the findings showed that naps had the greatest improvement effect. This study is interesting because it shows that while people will try and use caffeine as a substitute for sleep, it does not give the same benefits (Mednick, 2010).The Study by Ruxton studied “The impact of caffeine on mood, cognitive function, performance and hydration: a review of benefits and risks”. In the study research was conducted to try and determine the optimal level of caffeine intake for achieving benefits, without reaching risks such as dehydration. An intake of 38 to 400 mg per day was determined to be the optimal range. This equals 1 to 8 cups of tea, or .3 to 4 cups of coffee (Ruxton, 2008).The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics by Pattison, Rusin and Bai explored the correlation between caffeine consumption and GPA. Previous studies have shown that caffeine consumption can cause a decrease in the amount of sleep students receive. This decrease in sleep can be attributed to a decrease in academic performance. This study tried to determine the correlation between caffeine consumption and GPA, which was determined to have a weak negative correlation with overall caffeine consumption and a stronger correlation with higher caffeine consumption (Pattison,S. 2016).The Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior study by Simpson studied “Perceived Stress, Caffeine Consumption and GPA of Undergraduate Students at a Large Public University” Caffeine consumption and stress levels were measured using an online questionnaire at the beginning of the semester and at midterms. There was a noticeable rise in both reported stress levels and caffeine consumption between the start of the semester and midterms (Simpson,Emma 2016).The Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior study by Natalie Caine-Bish “Sleep Habits and Caffeine Use in College Students” studied a correlation between sleep habits and caffeine use in college students. A difference was found in the study with high caffeine consumers sleeping less than low caffeine consumers (Caine-Bish,Natalie 2014).MethodsSubjects: Rowan University Students were the subjects of this study, both male and female. Participants voluntarily filled out questionnaires found on online social media sites. Tools: Data was collected using an online survey powered by surveymonkey, which participants filled out after finding it posted on social media. When designing the survey questions were designed to determine the demographic of the respondent, frequency of caffeine use, perceived caffeine dependence and other factors like GPA and sleep quality. Data will be examined after the study to determine if there is a correlation between caffeine use and the other variables.Timeline: All students were surveyed through surveymonkey on link that stayed open for a week. Results were then analyzed after the link closed. Results-114299238125Figure 1numberpercentMale2332.9%Female4767.1%Figure 2-2857499525numberpercentcoffee3347.1%tea1927.1%energy drinks45.7%soda710.0%preworkout11.4%don't consume 68.6%Figure 3percentagesnumberdo not consume8.57%6rarely2.86%21 -2 times a week35.71%25every other day18.57%131 -2 cups a day28.57%203-4 cups a day4.29%35 + cups a day1.43%1Figure 4NumberPercentageyes3754.41%no3145.59%-95249342900Figure 5NumberPercentage4 or fewer hours45.80%About 5-6 hours2637.68%About 7-8 hours3347.83%9 or more hours68.70%Figure 63.6 - 4.03247.06%3.1 - 3.52536.76%2.6 - 3.0811.76%2.1 - 2.522.94%2.0 or below11.47%Figure 7Freshman1927.54%Sophomore710.14%Junior2130.43%Senior2130.43%Fifth year / Other11.45%-95249336291Figure 8yes3246.38%–no3753.62%Figure 913550.72%21318.84%31521.74%445.80%522.90%Male GPA (n=22)Female GPA (n=46)3.6 - 4.031.82%73.6 - 4.054.35%253.1 - 3.550.00%11–3.1 - 3.530.43%–142.6 - 3.013.64%3–2.6 - 3.010.87%–52.1 - 2.54.55%1–2.1 - 2.52.17%12.0 or below0.00%02.0 or below2.17%1Figure 10DiscussionsThe research study was conducted to attempt to answer the research question “is there a correlation between caffeine consumption and student health and GPA?” All results were taken online using the site surveymonkey. Regarding GPA of the 20 students that answered question 3 “On average How much caffeine do you drink?” with “1-2 cups a day” 7 of them (35%) reported their GPA as in the 3.6-4.0 range, and 9 (45%) said it was in the 3.1-3.5 range. 4 Students answered with “drinking 4 or more cups a day” and they all reported their GPA as in the 3.6-4.0 range. This differs from the data found in figure 6 from the full population 47% reported GPA as in the 3.6-4.0 range, and 36% as in the 3.1-3.5 range. Given the data one could conclude that Rowan University students consuming a moderate amount of caffeine (1-2 cups) have an average lower GPA than Rowan University Students as a whole. Given the small sample size this claim could not be made, and further sampling would need to be done. It is also worthy to note that the higher caffeine drinkers have an overall higher GPA, however conclusions cannot be drawn given the small sample size. Male and female results were analyzed and a difference was found between male and female GPA distribution, which can be found in figure 10. Of the 22 surveyed males who answered the GPA question, 7 (31.8%) reported their GPA as in the 3.6 - 4.0 range, and 11 (50%) reported it as in the 3.1-3.5 range. Of the 46 females that answered, 25 (54.4%) reported GPA as in the 3.6-4.0 range, and 14 (30.4%) reported GPA as in the 3.1-3.5 range. This data shows that among the students surveyed, on average female GPA’s as being higher than male GPA’s. More females answered the survey in general than males which could lead to a difference, and again the small sample size limits the data’s credibility. Another potential problem with this data is that all numbers are self reported, with possible embarrassment causing participants to lie about their GPA. This data suggests that there might be a potential influence of caffeine on students academic performance, and more testing would need to be done in order to determine so. This study was lacking in its number of participants, if it were to be repeated a way to reach more students would need to be found. There are always limits to a study that analyzes results from a survey, laboratory testing provides the most accurate measurements. Surveying individuals over time to see if their answers changed could also provide more information, such as if student habits and opinions change during exams. There are different ways this study could be improved upon to further explore the research question.ReferencesBedi, R. P. and Wuitchik, N. G. (2009). Caffeine. In G. Fisher & N. Roget, Encyclopedia of substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. , N., & Pfaff, C. (2014). Sleep habits and caffeine use in college students. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 46(4), S178. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2014.04.264Lack, L., & Johannson, K. (2013). Caffeine withdrawal: Cost or benefit? Sleep Medicine, 14, e53. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2013.11.090Mednick, S., Kanady, J., Resovsky, K., & Drummond, S. (2010). Comparing the benefits of a nap, caffeine,modafinil and placebo on visual, visuospatial, motor and declarative memory. Journal of Vision, 7(9), 858-858. doi:10.1167/7.9.858Pattison, S., Rusin, R., & Bai, Y. (2016). Caffeine consumption among college students: Its effect on sleep hours and academic achievement. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(9), A13. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2016.06.028Ruxton, C. H. S. (2008). The impact of caffeine on mood, cognitive function, performance and hydration: A review of benefits and risks. Nutrition Bulletin, 33(1), 15-25. doi:10.1111/j.1467-3010.2007.00665.xSimpson, E., Stephenson, T., Brewer, D., Schwartz, A., & Bastin, S. (2016). Perceived stress, caffeine consumption, and GPA of undergraduate students at a large public university. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 48(7), S102. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2016.04.269Survey: Caffeine Use and Health Effects1. Are you male or female?MaleFemale2. What is your preferred caffeinated beverage?coffeeteaenergy drinks (monster, red bull etc)sodaPre-workout containing caffeineOther (please specify)3. On average how much caffeine do you consumeI do not consume caffeineonce or twice a weekevery other day1 -2 cups a day3-4 cups a day5 or more cups a dayOther (please specify)4. Has your caffeine use increased since starting college?yesno5. How many hours do you sleep each night?4 or fewer hoursAbout 5-6 hoursAbout 7-8 hours9 or more hours6. What is your GPA?3.6 - 4.03.1 - 3.52.6 - 3.02.1 - 2.52.0 or below7. What grade are you in?FreshmanSophomoreJuniorSeniorFifth year / Other8. Do you feel caffeine helps you focus in class or studying?yesno9. On a scale of 1-5 how much do you depend on caffeine to get you through the day? (1 being the lowest)12345 ................
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