Results Background information of study participants The background information of the study participants is presented in Table 1. The study population comprised 82.2% males. A high proportion (46.7%) of the study participants were within the age category of 21 to 23 years. The majority (63.9%) of the study subjects participated in team events, rather than the other events. Out of the 180 respondents, only 19(10.6%) indicated that they had completed a nutrition-related course in the university. A majority (38.3%) trained for a period of between 1 and 2 hours in a day. The rest trained for longer periods

per day. Table 1 Background Characteristics of Study Participants Variable Groups n (%) Gender Male 148(82.2)   Female 32(17.8) Age Group (years) 18-20 23(12.8)   21-23 84(46.7) AZD4547 nmr   24-26 48(26.7)   27-29 16(8.9)   > 29 9(5.0) University Affiliation UG 32(17.8)   UCC 42(23.3)   UDS 22(12.2)   UEW 26(14.4)   KNUST 25(13.9)   UMaT 10(5.6)   IPS 23(12.8) *Type of Sports Discipline Short buy 4SC-202 distance 30(16.7)

  Middle distance 17(9.4)   Long distance 9(5.0)   Team events 115(63.9)   Both Track and Field events 9(5.0) Completed a Nutrition Course in the University Yes 19(10.6)   No 161(89.4) Training Hours per Day 1- 2 hours/day 69(38.3) 3-Methyladenine molecular weight   3-4 hours/day 47(26.1)   5-6 hours/day 64(35.6) *Type of Sports Discipline: Short Distance – Athletics events ranging from 100 m to 400 m; Middle Distance – Athletics events ranging from 800 m to 1500 m; Long Distance – Athletics events ranging from 3000 m to 10000 m; Team Events – Comprises games like Amino acid soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, badminton, tennis, table tennis and handball; Both Track and Field Events – Athletics events ranging from 100 m to 10000 m and field events which comprises athletics events like javelin,

shot putt, discus, high jump, long jump, triple jump and pole vault Responses regarding energy drink consumption patterns The prevalence regarding energy drinks consumption among the surveyed athletes was 62.2%. This is the percentage of athletes who reported consuming an energy drink in the week prior to the study and usually consumed at least one can of energy drink per week, as shown in Table 2. A high proportion (53.6%) of the respondents indicated that they usually drank Lucozade. Other brands of energy drinks consumed included Blue Jeans (16.1%), Red Bull (9.8%), Burn (8.9%), Rox (8.0%) and Gluconade (3.6%). The majority (79.5%) of the respondents reported that they usually drank between 1 and 2 cans of energy drink in a week, whereas 20.5% indicated that they drank between 3 and 4 cans of energy drinks per week. Table 2 Energy Drinks Consumption Practices of Student-athletes Variable n (%) Consumption of energy drinks   Yes 112(62.2) No 68(37.8) Type usually drank   Gluconade 4(3.6) Burn 10(8.9) Blue Jeans 18(16.1) Rox 9(8.0) Red Bull 11(9.8) Lucozade 60(53.