Caffeine and Calorie Consumption at a College Campus Coffee Café

Abstract

Coffee and tea consumption has substantially increased among young adults in the United States across the past few decades, particularly on college campuses. In this study, we observed beverage purchases at a campus coffee shop across an academic term at a university in the Midwestern USA. Although results do not indicate a gender difference in average drink size, women consumed more calories and a greater proportion of daily-recommended calories on average than men did. Men consumed more caffeine on average than women did. Our project demonstrates how observational research methods can provide a better understanding of health issues in a college population. [web URL: http://ishe.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/HEB_2016_31_1_74-83.pdf]