Effect of Habitual Caffeine Intake on Physical Activity Level in the Students of Selected Bangladeshi University

Background: The psychostimulant that is most often used worldwide is caffeine. It is still unclear how habitual caffeine consumption and physical activity are related. Moreover, research on the relationship between caffeine intake and physical activity have been conducted almost exclusively among trained individuals but little is known about the effects of caffeine on physical activity level in sedentary or lightly active individuals including university going students.

Objectives: To determine the impact of habitual caffeine consumption on levels of physical activity among selected university students in Bangladesh.

Study Design: Cross-sectional observational study.

Methodology: A total 400 students of Noakhali Science & Technology University, Bangladesh (227 male, 173 female; between the ages of 18 and 28 years old) were included by non-probability convenience sampling method from July 2023 to September 2023. Data was analyzed by SPSS 26.0. Descriptive analyses, Chi-square test and Multinomial logistic regression were performed.

Results: Majority (84.4%) of the participants were observed to consume tea and coffee in a regular weekly basis and most of them were moderately active (71.8%). There was a significant association between the caffeine intake and physical activity level (P˂0.001). In multinomial logistic regression it was found that those who did not consume caffeine from coffee & tea and who consume low amount of tea & coffee both were significantly & independently at a higher risk of being sedentary ((aRRR 47.667, 95%CI 37.470 to 65.489, P<0.001 and aRRR 4.037, 95% CI 1.212 to 13.442, P<0.05 respectively) than those who consume moderate amount of caffeine from coffee & tea every week.

Conclusion: The amount of caffeine consumed from tea and coffee by the students were found to have a significant relationship with their level of physical activity. However, for better understanding about caffeine’s potential effect on physical activity level, further large scale randomized controlled trial is suggested.