Journal of Preventive Medicine

Soft Drink Consumption and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents: The Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey

Evidence regarding mental health problems caused by related to excessive beverage intake is growing, but it is unclear which types of beverage increase mental health risks and at what level of consumption. We investigated the association between beverage intake and suicide attempts in a nationally representative sample of Korean adolescents. We used the cross-sectional data of the 11th Korean Youth Risk Behavior web-based Survey, which adopted an internet-based, self-reported questionnaire with anonymity. We estimated the odds ratios (ORs) and used 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) with multiple logistic regression models. In total, 68,043 adolescents participated in this study, and 1,662 (2.4%) reported a suicide attempt in the last 12 months. Students who drink carbonated beverages more than 5–6 times per week had higher odds of attempting suicide (OR, 3.237; 95% CI, 2.272–4.613). Adolescents who drink energy drinks more than three times per day had approximately five times higher odds of attempting suicide (OR, 5.203; 95% CI, 3.194–8.474). Beverage intake of more than three times a day was positively associated with suicide attempt in Korean adolescents. In particular, energy drink consumption was in robust, positive association with suicide attempt.

Author(s):

Do Eun Park, Jeong Lim Kim, Jaelim Cho

Abstract | Full-Text | PDF

Share this