Experiences, Perceptions and Meanings of Energy Drink Consumption Among Children and Adolescents: A Qualitative Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis

Energy drink consumption has increased among children and adolescents, raising concerns about its health effects and the factors that shape it. This review synthesised qualitative evidence on the experiences, perceptions and meanings that children and adolescents attribute to energy drink consumption. A qualitative metasynthesis was conducted following a systematic search of MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and CINAHL. Methodological quality was appraised with the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist, and confidence in the findings with GRADE-CERQual. Nine studies involving 637 participants aged 10–18 years were included. The synthesis generated eight descriptive themes and four analytical themes, concerning product appeal, the normalisation of consumption within social and environmental contexts, the negotiation of perceived benefits against health risks, and prevention. Marketing, brand recognition and easy retail access were consistently described as increasing product desirability. Although participants recognised adverse effects such as sleep disturbance and palpitations, these risks were commonly regarded as unlikely or manageable and outweighed by anticipated benefits. Confidence was high for three of the four review findings and moderate for the fourth, which was supported by fewer studies. An emergent interpretative conceptual framework highlighted the multidimensional nature of energy drink consumption and supported consideration of multilevel prevention combining educational, social, environmental, and regulatory approaches.