Abstract:
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Camellia sinensis (C.
sinensis) tea consumption on anxiety level in medical students.
Method: This was an analytic observational study with cross-sectional approach within
332 undergraduate students at Medical Faculty ULM in December 2021. They were
selected using simple random sampling technique. Data were collected online via Google
form. A questionnaire and The Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale were applied to figure out
characteristics of respondents including tea consumption status, and to determine the
anxiety status, respectively. Data were then analyzed using a multinomial logistic
regression test.
Results: This study demonstrated that consuming tea occasionally (≥1 glass per week)
showed a lower risk of mild-moderate anxiety by 9% (adj. OR 0.91, 95%CI: 0.47-1.77) and
of marked-severe anxiety by 46% (adj. OR 0.55, 95%CI: 0.12-2.43) compared to non-tea
drinkers. Meanwhile, consuming 1 glass and 2-3 glasses of tea per day showed a 20% (adj.
OR 0.80, 95%CI: 0.36-1.79) and a 54% (adj. OR 0.46, 95%CI: 0.15-1.37) lower risk of mildmoderate anxiety, respectively compared to non-tea drinkers. However, this association
was not statistically significant (p>0.05).
Conclusions: These results indicate that there is a tendency of a decreased risk of anxiety
for the increased consumption of C. sinensis tea.
Keywords: Anxiety, Camellia sinensis, tea, students, medical faculty, Indonesia
