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Eating Disorders in College Students
Published in Jonna Fries, Veronica Sullivan, Eating Disorders in Special Populations, 2017
Mandy Golman, Marilyn Massey-Stokes, Susan Karpiel
Well, I have just completed my first month at college. I'm not really sure what to say. I have made some nice new friends, but feel pretty homesick. I haven't slept too well in my new bed-it is really hard. My classes are tough and I feel overwhelmed by the work. I think I flunked my first test! I can't find anything to eat in the cafeteria-everything is gross. I don't want to gain the Freshman 15. I'm not sure I'm ready for college at all!
The toxic environment
Published in Anna Bellisari, The Anthropology Of Obesity in the United States, 2016
Breakfast is becoming obsolete in the US for children and adults. Only half of Americans under the age of 54 years report eating breakfast regularly – and the foods eaten range from cold pizza to cold cereal – while senior citizens with presumably more time to prepare meals are much more likely to eat a traditional warm breakfast (Langer 2005). In a breakfast consumption experiment, daily energy intake was significantly lower and insulin sensitivity was significantly higher when participants ate breakfast than during the breakfast-omitted portion of the trial (Farshchi et al. 2005b). Regularly skipping breakfast could well result in weight gain if it leads to higher energy intake later in the day. This may be one reason for the supposed Freshman 15 (actually, an average of 7.5 lb) gained by two-thirds of first-year college students (Vadeboncoer et al. 2015). Dramatic life changes, unlimited food choices, time constraints and sleep deprivation, stress, and the novelty of personal autonomy probably all combine to develop poor eating and exercise habits for some college freshmen (Wray 2005).
Living alone and prediction of weight gain and overweight/obesity in university students: a retrospective cohort study
Published in Journal of American College Health, 2023
Ryohei Yamamoto, Maki Shinzawa, Ryuichi Yoshimura, Manabu Taneike, Kaori Nakanishi, Makoto Nishida, Keiko Yamauchi-Takihara, Takashi Kudo, Toshiki Moriyama
Obesity defined as a high BMI (BMI), is a pivotal risk factor for mortality1 and cardiometabolic diseases, such as hypertension,2 diabetes,3 and cardiovascular disease (CVD),4 and is therefore one of the major global health burdens, along with smoking, hypertension, and diabetes.5 Because BMI values in younger ages predict obesity in adulthood6 and the association between obesity and mortality is stronger in younger people than in older people,1,7 determining the risk factors for obesity in youth is critically important to establish a strategy for the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases. One of the potential culprits is weight gain in first-year university students, often referred to as the “Freshman 15.”8 A systematic review including 5549 students in 22 studies revealed that approximately 60% of first-year university students gained 7.5 lbs (3.38 kg) on average,9 lower than “15” lbs. Women,10 ethnicity, eating patterns and behaviors, and physical activity were identified as predictors of weight gain in first-year university students.11
Institutional factors associated with college students’ healthy physical activity and body composition: A first semester follow-up
Published in Journal of American College Health, 2023
Yangyang Deng, YongJu Hwang, Sara Campbell, Bryan A. McCullick, Sami Yli-Piipari
Entering college can be an exciting, yet stressful event for many young adults. First-year college students are trying to adapt to the changes in environment, academic workloads, and support networks, which often results in a struggle to self-regulate their health behaviors, including physical activity (PA).1 Although the “Freshman 15”, (i.e. excessive weight gain of 15 pounds or more) is a myth, research has shown that freshman students are vulnerable to declines in PA,2 unhealthy diet,3 and weight gain,4 especially during their first semester.5 In addition, this negative trend has shown to continue across the college years.6 Multiple intra-individual (e.g., personal motivation) and inter-individual (e.g., peer support) factors have been shown to contribute to college students’ PA behaviors,7 but less is known about the institutional factors (i.e., available student services) contributing to these changes.
Psychological distress, social context, and gender patterns in obesity among a multiethnic sample of U.S. college students
Published in Journal of American College Health, 2022
Chia-Hsin Emily Cheng, Courtney S. Thomas Tobin, Jie W. Weiss
The transition of college is thus a critical period in understanding weight gain. Although studies on the “Freshman 15” phenomenon—the notion that students gain an average of 15 pounds during the first year of college4—have been mixed, evidence does suggest a real problem of significant weight gain among college students. Past research has highlighted the importance of living arrangements and food access, as some studies show that students who live off-campus tend to eat less healthy foods and face higher risk for overweight or obesity compared to students who live on campus or at home with their families.11,12 However, others suggest that living at home may contribute to worsening obesity rates because of parents’ desire to cook for their children or regulate their eating behavior.13 Thus, while prior research demonstrates the relevance of living arrangements for shaping obesity risk, the evidence of its impact remains mixed.