JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Caffeine consumption is a common strategy to enhance alertness, particularly among medical students managing intense academic demands. This study examines caffeine intake across different stages of medical training—first-year (M1), second-year (M2), and third-year (M3) medical students—to determine whether intake increases as students progress. M1–M3 students at a California medical school completed an anonymous survey (8/14/25–8/28/25) on weekly caffeine intake. Likert-scale questions assessed consumption and impact. SPSS 28 was used; nonparametric tests and Spearman’s correlation identified significant differences (adjusted p ≤ 0.05). Caffeine totals were calculated per item.Among 122 respondents, M3s consumed more caffeine from coffee than M1s (p = .028) and M2s (p = .010), and more from OTC drugs than M1s (p = .010) and M2s (p = .006). Higher modified CAGE scores (1–3) were linked to greater caffeine intake than score 0 (p < .001–.040).Caffeine use increased with training level, highest in M3s, likely due to rising demands. Tea remained stable; soft drink use declined. M3s consumed more energy drinks and chocolate. Findings align with stress-related stimulant use. Limitations include single-site, self-report data, and lack of longitudinal or confounding variable control.