Weight gain isn't inevitable when you start college
Freshmen gain 3 pounds on average over their first semester

Date:
August 24, 2021
Source:
University of Georgia
Summary:
Researchers found that first-year college students do pack on
pounds, but implementing healthy patterns early can help stave
off that weight gain.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Everyone's heard about the so-called freshman 15, but new research from
the University of Georgia suggests that counteracting this weight gain
might be more complicated than just taking a walk around the quad.


==========================================================================
The freshman 15 is actually a bit of a misnomer, with students typically
only putting on around 8 pounds over their first year. But that's a
substantial amount of weight to gain, particularly for students who are
already overweight.

In the study, UGA researchers found that first-years do pack on pounds,
about 3 on average over the course of the semester. But implementing
healthy patterns early can help stave off that weight gain.

A contributing factor to weight gain Published in the Journal of American College Health, the study found that vigorous physical activity, the kind
of exercise that gets your heart rate up and makes you sweat, was almost nonexistent among the first-year students at a public university in the
South. The American Heart Association recommends all adults participate
in 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75
minutes of intense exercise (or a combination of the two). At the start
of the study, only two out of five students met the recommended level
of activity.

That's not to say none of the students were exercising. In fact, their
moderate physical activity, such as walking across campus or biking at
a casual pace, didn't actually change much from when they were in high
school. Some freshmen even upped their moderate activity.

But by the end of the study -- which followed students during their first semester at school -- almost 70% of the students reported no vigorous
physical activity at all. At the beginning of the study, students reported higher levels of activity, with only 40% saying they weren't exercising
hard enough to start panting at the beginning of the study.



==========================================================================
"You have to be really motivated to engage in that level of activity,"
said Yangyang Deng, lead author of the study and a graduate student in
the Mary Frances Early College of Education. "In high school, there
are many opportunities to be involved in sports, but those disappear
for many students in college." The transition to college As a result,
the students in the study saw modest but significant increases in body
mass index, or BMI, a screening tool that divides a person's weight by
their height to determine whether they're a healthy size. (A normal or
healthy BMI value should fall between 18.5 and 24.9.) The students also
added an average of a little over 3 pounds by the end of the semester,
which sounds small but easily adds up as the college years go by.

Despite meal plans and 24/7 access to some campus dining options,
the study showed that neither meal plan status nor whether the student
lived on campus or off significantly predicted weight gain. But lack of vigorous activity did.

"The life transition from high school is a big one, and we know from
research that life transitions are a big factor in changing our health behaviors," said Sami Yli-Piipari, author of the study, associate
professor in the College of Education and director of the Children's
Physical Activity and Fitness Lab.

"And other studies have previously reported that the more academically challenging the university is, the more weight students gain." The
students who were highly active in their lives before college, though,
remained highly active at university, emphasizing the importance of
teaching children that exercising and eating a healthy diet is important
for your future.



==========================================================================
"The message of this study is that we have to do a better job of helping
young people be active because that affects how active they are later
in life as well," Yli-Piipari said.

Establish healthy habits early The study tracked over 100 students,
measuring things like physical activity, BMI, motivation (or lack
thereof) to exercise and how their friends and family viewed their
exercise habits. The researchers also examined the role university
services played in students' activity levels.

For example, university health centers often have programming to teach
students how to cook healthier meals and fit more activity into their
lives, but the researchers found that most of the students in the study
weren't aware these services were available. And that awareness didn't
improve over the course of the semester.

The students' increased BMI is obviously a concern, but we should really
focus on a more holistic view of health, especially increasing moderate
and vigorous activity for students. Establishing these good exercise
habits now can have lifelong benefits." -- Yangyang Deng, lead author of
the study, They were, however, aware of recreational activities at the
student fitness center, and intramural sports and fitness classes had
a positive effect on students' physical activity levels. Having friends
who exercised and supported their classmates' efforts to work out also
boosted vigorous activity levels.

"Vigorous physical activity most often occurs because of something like
playing on a sports team, or if you're really motivated, to achieve a
goal, like running a marathon," said Yli-Piipari. "You have to be really motivated to push yourself to that limit where you really are working
hard to get those health benefits that come from that level of activity."
From an institutional perspective, heavily promoting healthy cooking
classes, exercise courses or other university resources could have a big
effect on student health. On a more personal level, students who want
to boost their fitness should consider signing up for intramural sports
teams, group exercise classes or sessions with a personal trainer, which
are often available from university rec centers for discounted rates.

"The students' increased BMI is obviously a concern, but we should
really focus on a more holistic view of health, especially increasing
moderate and vigorous activity for students," Deng said. "Establishing
these good exercise habits now can have lifelong benefits." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Georgia. Original
written by Leigh Beeson.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Yangyang Deng, YongJu Hwang, Sara Campbell, Bryan A. McCullick,
Sami Yli-
Piipari. Institutional factors associated with college students'
healthy physical activity and body composition: A first semester
follow-up.

Journal of American College Health, 2021; 1 DOI: 10.1080/
07448481.2021.1922416 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210824121043.htm

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