Many college freshman students are living on their own for the first time. Students not living at home are now buying groceries, making meals, or living off the school meal plan and are completely in charge of their diet. When one considers this newfound freedom (Cake for breakfast? Why not?) combined with the stress of studying and less time for sports, it's easy to see how the weight can sneak on.
A new Canadian study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, June 2008, found that women students were not packing on the dreaded freshman fifteen, but they were still gaining about five extra pounds in their first year. "It's still alarming because that happened over six to seven months...If young women going to university continue to put on weight at that rate, it could be very problematic," said Dr. Janis A. Randall Simpson, one of the researchers at the University of Guelph, Ontario.
Interestingly enough, the weight gain was not caused by the most obvious factors -- increase in food and alcohol intake. The researchers found that the students' calorie intake did not significantly increase during the course of the study, and alcohol consumption rose only minimally: 2.7 drinks to 3.1 a week. A statistical analysis suggests that girls who gained weight are not as active as they were in high school.
There are some obvious limitations of the study. You cannot extrapolate from the data that those who gain weight in the first year of the study are on the fast track to obesity. Also, it was self-reported, which can easily lead to errors, and the sample size was relatively small, only 116 women. Another limitation of the study was the fact that participants were only followed for one year. Anyone who has attended college knows how tumultuous the first year can be. It is possible that in subsequent years weight remains stable or decreases as women become adjusted to college life. Future studies following the students from freshman year to after graduation could show if there really is a steady weight gain trend, or if it plateaus after the first year.
Dr. Simpson advises that girls entering college should watch what they eat and be sure to get enough exercise. And while physical activity should be encouraged at any age, the emphasis should be on overall health and not what might be merely a superficial and temporary weight gain.
Krystal Ford is a research intern at the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH.org, HealthFactsAndFears.com).
