Assessment of coffee, tea and herbal infusions consumption in adults

Abstract

Introduction: Coffee and tea are some of the most popular beverages in the world. Herbal infusions are also growing in popularity. Much attention is being paid to the effects of these beverages on the body and human health.

Objective: The aim of the study was to analyse the consumption of coffee, tea and herbal infusions in terms of selected socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, as well as the frequency of beverages consumption in the study group.

Materials and methods: The study involved 508 adult respondents, including 404 females and 104 males aged over 18 years. An online survey questionnaire was used, consisting of questions on socioeconomic data, lifestyle, height and weight, and frequency of consumption of coffee, tea and herbal infusions. Statistical analysis of the results was performed using Statistica 13.3 software, and statistical significance was assumed at the p≤0.05 level.

Results: The beverages most often consumed by the adults was tea (90.2% of the respondents), followed by coffee (81.5%), the least frequently chosen beverage was herbal infusion (48%). The largest percentage of adults consuming coffee were: persons aged 18-29 (p=0.012), with higher education (p=0.010), living in cities over 500,000 inhabitants (p=0.048) or having permanent employment (p<0.001). In the case of tea consumption, significantly the largest percentage of adults concerned: women (p<0.001), persons with low physical activity (p=0.003) or good/very good self-dietary assessment (p<0.001). Significantly the largest percentage of adults consuming herbal infusions were: women (p<0.001), persons aged 18-29 (p=0.031) or with higher education (p<0.001). Gender was not a factor differentiating the frequency of consumption of the analyzed beverages in study group.

Conclusions: The consumption of coffee, tea and herbal infusions is determined by several socio-demographic factors. Coffee was chosen more often by young people with an active professional life in large cities, which is probably related to the availability of this beverage in offices as well as in takeaway cafes.

Keywords: adults; coffee; frequency of consumption; herbal infusions; lifestyle; socioeconomic factors; tea.