Caffeine consumption and association with sleep duration and screen time in Brazilian adolescents (ERICA Study)

Objectives: Some studies have demonstrated that caffeine consumption is a risk factor for insufficient sleep or poor sleep quality in adolescents. The aim of this study was to estimate the average daily caffeine consumption and to investigate the association between caffeine, sleep duration, and screen time in a large sample of Brazilian adolescents.Methods: We evaluated data from 71 533 adolescents aged 12 to 17 y, who participated in the ERICA study (Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents). Caffeine intake was extracted from 24-h dietary recalls of caffeine-containing products. The mean daily intake of caffeine/mg and caffeine/mg/kg, the prevalence of caffeine intake, and their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated according to the general characteristics. Associations between caffeine consumption, sleep duration, and screen time were analyzed by a multinomial logistic regression model, considering P < 0.05.Results: The overall average daily caffeine intake was 99.45 mg (95% CI, 91.43-107.47) and 1.88 mg/kg (95% CI, 1.71-2.04). Daily caffeine intake >3 mg/kg was significantly associated with screen time <= 2 h/d (odds ratio [OR], 1.16; 95% CI, 1.06-1.26) and sleep duration >= 8 h (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.17-1.46), which remained significant after adjustment. The time of day of the highest caffeine consumption was in the morning (05:00-12:59). The most consumed caffeine-containing product was coffee (35%), followed by soda (27%).Conclusions: This study demonstrated that caffeine consumption does not interfere with sleep duration or screen time. Moreover, the study provided important information about the source of caffeine most consumed by Brazilian adolescents, which could help professionals plan appropriate caffeine consumption.