Teaching Topic

Lets use this thread to discuss and plan for the teaching topic: Caffeine Drinks and High School Students

Am looking into the guidelines we were given in class to use while developing our teaching plan. So, l believe the target audience is high school Students, a community goal probably would be to cut down the amount of caffeine intake per day because it changes the way our brain and body work and also changes how we behave and feel. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. Central nervous system includes our brain, spinal cord, and the other nerves in our body. Caffeine’s main effect on our body is to make us feel more awake and alert for a while, but it can also cause problems at times probably by:

• Making us jittery and shaky
• Make it hard to fall asleep, stay asleep,
or get a good night’s sleep
• Make our heart beat faster
• Cause an uneven heart rhythm
• Raise our blood pressure
• Cause headaches, nervousness,
and/or dizziness
• Make us dehydrated especially after a exercises
• Make us dependent on it so we need to take more of it every day.

FDA states that caffeine is a drug and also a food additive.The need to acquire health education about caffeine, remains vital because of the long term effects it contributes to our health.

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/UCM205286.pdf

Hi All,

Are we only focusing on caffeine or is this about nutrition as well? Thank you

My suggestion would be to cover caffeine as a drug. Discuss the caffeine content of popular drinks and foods on the market, with particular attention to their effects on the mind and body.

You will especially want to address energy drinks in sports and energy drinks with alcohol. Remember the population you are addressing...high school students who will soon be heading off to college, late nights and early classes, unsupervised and ready to party!

I don't think we should discuss caffeine as a drug, quite simply because it is not in the elicit sense. To discuss it as such may detract from our credibility. I agree a focus should be on energy drinks. I have read a lot about "alcopops," for my public health project and lots of info on this. We should think what areas we should cover and divide that material up. Once we know this, we can decide on a format. We should also come up with something fun/interactive.

Yes, very nice start. I would however come at it from the angle of not decreasing caffeine intake but instead amounts that are considered safe according most recent research. We also need to keep in mind that caffeine does have some positive effects but as levels increase the negatives may show up. I would like to give them the positive attributes as well so that they are able to best make a informed decision.

I understand your desire not to classify caffeine as a drug, per se, but it is indeed a drug. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), it is classified as a psychoactive stimulant. Often used in conjunction with other drugs to potentate their effects, it is widely used in NICUs to treat apnea in premes. Caffeine treatment for premature infants is supposed to increase breathing frequency, decrease the number of apneic spells, and reduce partial tension of carbon dioxide (PCO2) and the need for (and duration of) mechanical ventilation.
My suggestion, and PLEASE remember, it is ONLY A SUGGESTION...was to demonstrate that caffeine is not just an ingredient in a drink. It does have "drug like" uses.
Please continue with your plan. Think of this response as merely a factoid.

We met as a group yesterday and discovered we have some gaps in our knowledge regarding our targeted audience for presentation. Would you please tell us the age of the students, number, and where it will take place (auditorium, single class room)? Will we have computer access for powerpoint? When do we need to arrive, and how much time are we allotted? Anything else you feel would be helpful? Thank you.

little known additives in energy drinks

ginseng- has been linked to increased risk of insomnia, headache and high blood pressure
carnitine- is an amino acid that has been linked with clogging the arteries of those who consume it, and can lead to heart disease.
guarana- can cause trembling, anxiety, heart palpitations (feeling of heart beating out of chest) and urinary frequency
taurine- is an amino acid that thins the blood which leads to an increase risk of bleeding, low blood sugar which can potentate dizziness and fainting

Researchers writing in the March edition of the journal Pediatrics said that some energy drink ingredients are understudied and under-regulated. The health risks for children with preexisting conditions like diabetes, mood disorders and heart, kidney, or liver diseases include heart palpitations, seizures, stroke or even sudden death, the doctors said.

I also found a nice article on the effects of alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED) and risk taking behaviors.
pdf version of article is available at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/jcr.2012.0015

Hi guys here are some of the popular drinks I decided on. Let me know if you want me to include anything else( I don't want it to be too big for the brochure). It does not show up as a chart here but I will email it in an attachment to the two people doing the poster and brochure and anyone else who wants it just let me know! I also added some questions that we could put on a pre and post test if we are doing on? Does anyone know if the instructor said we were doing the pre and post-test in the proposal to the principle?

Popular Caffeinated Beverages and the Amount of Caffeine They Contain
Name of Product Amount of Caffeine in Milligrams
Dunkin Donuts Medium Hot Coffee 178
Dunkin Donuts Large Hot Coffee with a Turbo Shot 436
Starbucks Medium Latte or Cappuccino 150
Starbucks Espresso- 2 oz 150
Starbucks Large Mocha Frappuccino 140
Starbucks Medium Tazo Awake Brewed Tea 135
A Medium Decaf Coffee 15-25
A 20oz Diet Coke 78
5-Hour Energy 208
Small 8.4oz Red Bull 80
Monster 160


Reference
Center for Science in the Public Interest. (2012). Caffeine Content of Food & Drugs. www.cspinet.org/news/cafchart.html
Questions I was thinking is we are going to do a pre and posttest the questions could be….
By adding one shot of Starbucks espresso to your coffee you add?
a) 50mg of caffeine
b) 75mg of caffeine
c) 100mg of caffeine
d) 150mg of caffeine

Decaf coffee has how many milligrams of caffeine?
a) 0mgs of caffeine
b) 5mgs of caffeine
c) 10mgs of caffeine
d) 20 mgs of caffeine

The answers would be revealed in the chart and both answers are D

JJ looks good! I think that is a good amount in regards to the added ingredients

Ways to increase energy
1. Sleep each night
2. Eat small, frequent meals
3. Drink water
4. Exercise
5. Be positive
6. Reduce stress
7. Take breaks
8. Spend time outside
9. Relax actively
10. Drink caffeine wisely


Dugdale, D. (2011). Fatigue. MedlinePlus. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003088.htm

I will explain each of these to the class, but figured you would just want to list these as is to save space on the pamphlet / poster. If you want me to type the explanations as to why each of these help increase energy I will, just let me know. Also, there are obviously more ways but since we only have a limited amount of time I assumed 10 would be a good amount to cover. If you guys think I should include more I can.

JGA, Here are some condensed facts and statistics of students combining energy drinks with alcohol and the effects.

• People have been mixing stimulants with alcohol to reduce alcohol’s depressant effect. This behavior has increased with the introduction and popularity of energy drinks.

• Studies have shown that the combined use of alcohol and energy drinks can lead to an increase in alcohol use and risk taking.

• An increased use of energy drinks is associated with increased marijuana use and fighting.

• Mixing alcohol and energy drinks can significantly increase alcohol related consequences, such as riding with an intoxicated driver, and being injured. Increase risks of injuries and deaths.

• Energy drinks have also been linked to an increase in drunk driving, seizures, strokes, arrhythmias, and death.

• Due to energy drink marketing strategies, athletes have among the heaviest users and most vulnerable to having serious alcohol related consequences.

• A study done by Woolsey (2010) studied 401 male and female athletes from a large Division-I university. 48% of the participants combined alcohol with energy drinks.

• Of the athletes studied, binge drinking was higher among those who mixed alcohol with energy drinks. In addition, a very high percent partook in energy-binging while drinking alcohol.

• Energy-binging is extremely dangerous because of the high levels of vitamins and stimulants being consumed.

• Those who participate in drinking high amounts of energy drinks and combining energy drinks with alcohol have an increased chance of having neurotransmitter imbalances (chemical imbalances in the brain), an increase chance of developing anxiety, and an increased chance of developing a depressive disorder.

All info from the following source:
Woolsey, C. (2010). Energy Drink Cocktails: A Dangerous Combination for Athletes and Beyond. Journal Of Alcohol & Drug Education, 54(3), 41-68.

Let me know if you would like me to add anything else,
Thank you

That is something Christi should fill you in on as it is in her school. To my knowledge, the audience is a health class and the space will be IN the health class. As MASCO is a new building, I would guess that all the necessary technology is in place for you to use what vere you need to present (PPT, etc) Might I suggest you contact the school nurse to verify this. Class is only 1/2 hour