Running Head: WEIGHT GAIN in ROWAN UNIVERSITY FRESHMAN

Running Head: WEIGHT GAIN IN ROWAN UNIVERSITY FRESHMAN

Factors of College Weight GainatRowan University in Freshman Students

Kerriann Manziano

HLT 00327-3: Consumer Health Decisions

Dr. JoAnne Bullard

4/15/15

Rowan University

Introduction

Going to college is a big step into becoming an adult. The transition can be difficult for some students who are living on their own without the guidance of parents or guardians. Besides getting an education, college is also a time for significant and rapid weight gain (Morin, 2012). This sudden change in health can lead to other problems as adulthood emerges for example obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Most people recognize this rapid gain in weight as the “freshman fifteen”, which is a myth defined as college freshman who put on at least fifteen pounds of weight or more based on a variety of factors.

Research Question

What factors cause freshman college students to gain weight?
Can the myth “freshman fifteen” be debunked?
Does weight gain differ between freshman male and females students?

Significance Statement

This study was conducted to inform future and present college students that their health is something that needs to be taken care of. High school might have been filled with sports, being constantly active, strict schedules, and parents or guardians cooking meals for some students. Now, however, students could be less active than he or she was in high school or stop activity altogether, this change can lead to weight gain and quite quickly (Weight Gain Among Men and Women College Students, 2012). This research is important for many reasons, one being that college weight gain and the freshman fifteen could be prevented; students can learn how to stay on track with their health through a series of workshops or by simply giving tips and strategies to help preclude weight gain. By providing the proper ways to help prevent weight gain, college students can develop into healthier beings, which will positively affect their future health.

Literature Review

Making the transition to a college lifestyle is a critical time for freshman students to gain weight. A study was conducted at a private university in Rhode Island on 382 freshman students, 70% of which gained weight during their first year (Llyod-Richardson, Bailey, Fava, & Wing, 2009). There were numerous factors contributing to this significant weight gain: stress related to increased workload and academic pressure, alcohol consumption, decreased exercise, changes in the environment, and poor nutrition (Lloyd-Richardson et al., 2009; CluskeyGrobe, 2009; Vella-ZarbElgar, 2010). The biggest struggle a freshman facedwas adopting a healthy eating routine and an exercise routine in college. College dining halls had “all-you-can-eat” dining plans, and snack and junk food stations with not a lot of healthy alternatives. Students were surrounded with numerous opportunities to make poor food choices (CluskeyGrobe, 2009). Stress was a big factor too, which affected the physical activity levels and food choices. An increase in academic stress consequentially led to a decrease in physical activity and an increase in high sugar and high fat foods (Vella-Zarb & Elgar, 2010). A correlation was shown between the two in a study conducted by Vella-Zarb and Elgar (2010) that high levels of stress meant low levels of physical activity and unhealthy food choices. Another major factor in weight gain was the effect a college environment had on the students especially including the increase in alcoholic consumption. Llyod-Richardson, Lucero, DiBello, Jacobson, and Wing (2008) conducted a study to find the relationship between alcohol and weight gain in freshmen. It was concluded that alcohol consumption did affect the quantity and quality of food choices made by freshmen. Students were not aware of the calorie content in the alcoholic beverages, and when the freshmen did drink they developed “drunk munchies” which increased their appetite. The late night eating, poor choices, and lack of awareness caused a weight gain of five to seven pounds at the end of the student’s freshman year (Lloyd-Richardson et al., 2008).

Furthermore, there did seem to be a significant weight gain in freshmen during their first year of college, but it was not as much as the myth “Freshman Fifteen” claimed it to be. The freshman fifteen was an overestimation, weight gain was made in most students during their freshman year, but on average it wasabout three to five pounds (Morin, 2012). A study was conducted at Auburn University in 2012 that debunked this idea of the “freshman fifteen”. Seventy percent of students put on about fifteen pounds during all four years of college, not just exclusively during their first year. Habits changed and over the course of four years the students gained about fifteen pounds. Students were less active and developed bad eating habits over the course of four years when they got to college (Weight Gain Among Men and Women College Students, 2012).

Additionally, it was noted that male freshman students gained more weight than the female freshman students (Llyod-Richardson et al., 2009; Morin, 2012;Weight Gain Among Men and Women, 2012). When asked about their weight in a discussion group, males were less concerned about their weight, used fewer strategies to control their weight, and consumed more alcohol than females. The females had restrained their dietary needs if necessary to watch their weight and seemed to have more stress about their schoolwork (CluskeyGrobe, 2009). It was also found that female students read food labels more, ate breakfast, ate less fast food, but were more emotional eaters while the males ate more fatty foods like fast food and junk food (Morin, 2012). The different factors between male and females led to a conclusion that males gain more weight than females during the first year in college.

Lastly, the environment college life creates can be used to positively impacts the students who attend, especially freshman year. The college could promote more physical activity, nutrition knowledge, and healthy weight management or weight gain prevention techniques (Lloyd-Richardson et al., 2009). An intervention study was conducted by Morin (2012) that provided a combination of monitoring, feedback, and education on weight management during the study on weight gain in freshmen. It was found that this feedback and education had a strong positive effect on the student’s healthy lifestyle choices and knowledge. These tools of intervention and assessment can provide the opportunities to promote a healthier way of living for college students and decrease weight gain freshman year.

Methods

A survey was conducted on ten freshman students who attend Rowan University, five were male and five were female.The survey asked questions about weight change throughout the student’s first year of college. The survey was conducted online through a Facebook group called “Rowan University Class of 2018.” In order to have been in this study one had to be a freshman student at Rowan University. Race, ethnicity, and income did not matter. A link was provided that took the students to the online survey through ESurv.org. The students were asked a series of questions regarding their health and weight change due to numerous factors. The research was conducted on March 23rd through April 3rd, 2015. Questions were as followed:

Male or Female
Do you live:
On campus
Off campus
Commute from home
Has your physical activity level changed since you started college?
Less physical activity than previous
More physical activity than previous
No change in physical activity
Do you use the college’s recreational facilities?
Rec center
No gym
Other gym
Home workouts/exercise
Do you consume alcoholic beverages?
0-1 times a week
2-4 times a week
More than 5 times a week
Do you eat more after drinking alcohol?
N/A
I eat more after drinking alcohol
I am not hungry after drinking alcohol
I eat less after drinking alcohol
Do you eat food/snacks late at night (past nine PM)?
Yes
No
Sometimes
Has your stress increased since going to college?
More stress than previous
Less stress than pervious
No change in stress levels
Do you feel as if this stress affected your eating/drinking habits?
Eat/drink more
Eat/drink less
No change
Do you eat in the dining hall most of the time?
Dining Hall
Cook own food
Eat out
Combination
Have you increased your consumption of high sugar and fat foods?
Increase in high sugar and fatty foods consumption
Decrease in high sugar fatty foods consumption
No change in food consumption
Have you gained or lost weight since going to college?
Gained weight
Lost weight
The same weight since previous
Do you wish there were preventative strategies to help you gain/lose/ or watch your weight?
Yes
No
Do not care

Results

As a whole group without subdivisions the results are as followed:

When asked if the participants lived on campus, seven students lived on campus, which was 70%, two students lived off campus, which was 20%, and one student commuted from home, which was 10%. Next the participants were asked if their physical activity had changed since he or she started college; eight students participated in more physical activity than before college; this was a majority of the voters at 80%. One student participated in less physical activity and one student had no change in physical activity. The students were then asked if he or she used Rowan’s recreational center. Again, a majority of the students, eighttotal which was 80%, used the Recreation Center. Two students, which was 20% of students, did home workouts and exercises. Six students, 60% of those who participated, said they drank alcohol zero to one time per week. Four students, 40% of those who participated, stated they drank alcohol two to four times per week. There was no one who drank more than five times per week. A majority of those who participated and drank stated that he or she ate more after drinking alcohol; this was 60% of the participants. One student ate less after drinking, and three students, 30%, claimed this question did not apply to him or her. When asked if the participants ate food and snacks late at night the results were somewhat divided; 50% of the students ate sometimes after nine pm, while 40% definitely ate after nine pm, and only one student said he or she did not eat after nine pm. Furthermore, a majority of the participants claimed that their stress had increased since attending college; this was 80% of the participants. One student said their stress level had not changed since going to college, and one student had less stress than before college. In referring to this stressfive participants, 50%, claimed they ate and drank more because of stress. Two participants, 20%, ate and drank less, and three participants, 30%, had no change in eating and drinking habits. When asked where the students spent the most time eating the responseswere divided amongst the four answers. Three students ate in the dining hall, which was 30% of the participants. Three students cooked their own food, which was 30% of the participants. One student ate out most of the time, and lastly three students, 30%, had a combination of dining hall food, cooking their own food, and eating out. Next, the participants were asked about their consumption of high sugar and high fat foods. Six participants increased their consumption, one student decreased their consumption, and three students had no change in their consumption of high sugar and high fat foods. When asked if the participants had gained or lost weight since going to college most students, 40%, had stated he or she gained weight. Three students lost weight, 30%, and three students, 30%, had no change in their weight. Finally, when the participants were asked if he or she wishes there were tips/strategies to help you gain/lose/ or watch your weight, most students did not care if there were tip and strategies to help with their weight; this was 60% of the participants; 40% of the participants said yes, they did wish there were tips and strategies to help with weight.

Subdivision between male and female freshman students:

Concerning weight gain or loss formalesshowed that three students had no change in weight, which was 60% of males, and only two students gained weight, which was 40% of males. For females, most of them actually lost weight which was three participants being 60% of females, and only two students had gained weight which was 40%. Next are the results for some key factors in weight change between male and female freshmen. For both male and females for question three, most students participated in more physical activity; it was 80% for both male and females, which equaled to four participants each. Only one male participated in less physical activity and one female had no change in physical activity. The results for question five for male and females alcohol consumption were as followed: three males drank zero-to-one time per week, 60%. Two males drank two-to-four times per week, 40%. Three females drank zero-to-one time per week, 60%. Two females drank two-to-four times per week, 40%. Both males and female students majority drank zero-to-one time per week.

Regarding eating habits after drinking alcohol, most males ate more after drinking alcohol which was four males totaling 80%. One male ate less. Most females thought this question was not applicable which was three females totaling 60%. The other two females said they ate more. For question eight dealing with stress levels, both male and females majority said their stress levels have increased. Both male and females had four participants with increased stress, which totaled 80% each. One male had less stress and one female had no change in stress. When asked if the stress affected their eating habits, the males were divided: two ate more, 40%, two had no change, 40% and one ate less, 20%. Majority of the females ate more, 60%, which was three females. One ate less and one had no change in eating habits. Lastly, a majority of the males did not care about weight strategies, 80%. A majority of the females did want strategies and tips on weight, 60%.

Subdivision weight gained results:

Based on the results, more students gained weight since going to college than the other responses. Three students lost weight and three students had no change in weight. For those who gained weight, 75% lived on campus, 50% participated in more physical activity, 100% used the recreational gym over no exercise and home exercises. There was a 50%- 50% between drinking alcohol zero-to-one time per week and two-to-four times per week, 75% of those who gained weight after more after they drank. There was a 50%- 50% divide between snacking late at night and sometimes snacking late at night. All of those who gained weight had an increase in stress, 50% of participants who gained weight said stress increased their eating. There was a 50%-50% divide between dining hall food and combination of all three choices: dining hall, eating out, and cooking; 75% of participants who gained weight increased their sugar and high fat foods. Lastly, there was a 50%-50% divide between wanting strategies and not caring about strategies and tips with weight control.

Discussion

Based on the results of the survey conducted, the factors that contributed to college weight gain the most were alcohol consumption, eating more after drinking alcohol, late night snacking, stress, living on campus, and an increase of high sugar and high fat foods. The survey results positively correlated with the research done in the literature review and were the main factors that caused weight gain in college students. However, it was noted that most of the students who gained weight still went to the gym. Decreased exercise was a popular factor contributing to weight gain amongst researchers, but for Rowan that did not seem to be the case (Lloyd-Richardson et al., 2009; CluskeyGrobe, 2009; Vella-Zarb & Elgar, 2010). Weight gain had a lot to do with bad eating habits due to stress and drinking alcohol. Since the majority of freshman students in this study did gain weight, it can be said that the “freshman fifteen” is somewhat true. Yes, a majority of the students gained weight, however, the survey left room for error. There was no question asked about how much weight was gained. That is the most important question when trying to debunk the “freshman fifteen” myth because based on previous research a freshman student, on average, gained about three to five pounds not 15 (Morin, 2012). There would also need to be a larger participant pool to obtain more accurate results on a bigger scale.