PrintAug. 17--CEDAR FALLS -- Jennifer Howard likes her coffee strong, smooth and flavorful. She's liked it that way ever since she was 15.
Howard, 18, drinks coffee about twice a week and frequently orders cappuccinos, frappuccinos and lattes.
"At first I (drank coffee) because I just wanted to taste it," the Waterloo resident said. "Then I got so hooked on it that I kept drinking it. I'm trying to get off it, but it's hard because I'm so addicted to the flavor."
But Howard isn't alone. The number of American teens guzzling coffee is on the rise.
According to the National Coffee Association, young people are the fastest growing group of coffee drinkers. In 2002, about 24 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds drank coffee, and in 2007, that number climbed to 37 percent. Among children aged 13 to 17, the percentage of meals or snacks that included coffee rose 20 percent from 2004 to 2006, according to the NDP Group, a national retail-consulting firm.
"I know (teens) come in every single day," said Leah Franck, an employee at Cup of Joe in Cedar Falls. "Usually during school they come in during the afternoon and evening. Occasionally, they will come in before school."
For some teens, drinking coffee is a way to socialize with friends. For others, it provides a quick pick-me-up.
"I often use it to study to give me that buzz to stay up," Howard said. "Other times I just like the taste of it; I even eat coffee ice cream."
Franck said Cup of Joe sees teens coming in for coffee at the beginning of their freshman year of high school, and they continue coming in through their senior year.
"They usually start out with a sweeter drink, such as a double mocha or a Screaming Chicken Latte, but by their senior year they usually progress to just plain coffee," she said.
But is all this coffee drinking healthy for teens?
Sometimes the coffee teens are reaching for contains high amounts of fat and sugar. Kids are drawn to coffee confections with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a caramel drizzle.
One example is a Starbucks 16-ounce Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino, which contains 410 calories and 12 grams of saturated fat. Based on a 2,000 calorie diet, that's 60 percent of the recommended daily intake for saturated fat.
"Coffee really has no nutritional value," said Arla McVicker, a family physician at the Waverly Covenant Clinic. "A lot of people put sugar or cream in it, and they may be replacing nutritional beverages with coffee. It's just adding calories to your diet that aren't going to benefit you."
There's also the concern of teens taking in high amounts of caffeine. Some parents fear that too much caffeine causes kids to become overtired and anxious.
"The smaller the person is, the harsher the effects are going to be," McVicker said. "If a person drinks too much it could have some ill effects such as nervousness, headaches, nausea and difficulty sleeping."
But she mentioned that when it comes to drinking coffee, it's all about moderation -- especially for teens.
"It's fine for kids to be drinking coffee every so often, but it should not be on a regular basis," she said.
To keep kids healthy, she suggests talking to kids about the effects of drinking too many caffeinated and high-fat drinks and urging them to reach for healthier options such as juice or milk.
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