Draft 1: Factors of Weight Gain in Freshmen Year of College

This topic submitted by Otzen, Gallagher, Purcell ( purceltc@muohio.edu ) on 11/1/09. [Section: ]

Explorations in Inquiry---Western Program---Miami University

Tessa Purcell, Caitlin Gallagher, and Karen Otzen
Hon281
Factors of Weight Gain in Freshmen Year of College
Introduction
The purpose of our inquiry is to gain insight on what contributes to weight gain in the freshman year of college. We hypothesize that the factor that has the biggest impact on weight gain is alcohol consumption. Our research question is: what is the biggest contributor to the weight gain of college students in their freshman year? We predict that there will be many different factors that influence the weight of college freshman but the one that will correlate most is increased alcohol consumption.
What we plan to accomplish is a better understanding of the reasons that students gain weight when they go to college. We plan to see what factors many people feel are the causes of this problem and which one most people blame.
This research is interesting to us because we ourselves are college freshman. The threat of the ÒFreshman 15Ó is something that we hear about frequently. We are curious to see why this is a common occurrence for many students. By identifying the largest cause for it, we hope to gain useful information that can help our peers to avoid this issue of weight gain. We hope to gain data that can show us how to maintain a healthy lifestyle as we make this transition to college. We would like to be able to learn from the mistakes of others so that we donÕt have to make them ourselves.
Relevance
Many studies have been conducted by various researchers in order to investigate the common weight gain of college freshman. Many of these are meant to determine whether or not this theory of the ÒFreshman 15Ó actually exists. Others were done in order to better understand the factors that contribute to this common issue. Weight gain has been a concern for many people over the years. Students worry about gaining weight themselves, parents worry about the health of their children, and others are concerned with the well being of our youth. This has contributed the vast number of inquiryÕs that have been done in order to better understand the problem. They help to satisfy the curiosity of some as well as served as insight that has been meant to help prevent the issue and inform students of ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle as they enter college.
Some studies have been conducted to test if the freshmen fifteen is real and is the amount of weight gained actually amounts to fifteen pounds. Scientists Hodge and Jackson studied the truth of the freshmen 15. Their conclusion states that Òthis weight gain is typically attributed to the new-found freedom and accompanying stress associated with the transition to college life.Ó Their study tested college women and showed that most women remain same weight, but more people gain over losing weight.
Most of the studies test the factors, which affect weight gain in college freshmen. Levitsky, Halbmaier, and Mrdjenovic conducted a study to compare certain behaviors and activities with freshmen weight gain. In first 12 weeks, average weight gain in both males and females was 1.9 to 2.4 kg. 20% of this weight gain is a result of the buffet-style dining halls, 20% results from snacking and junk food intake increase, and the other 60% was due to various life styles. Their survey also compared high school versus college life styles, including eat habits, sleeping, and exercise. While lifestyle factors and eating habits had a strong correlation to weight gain in freshmen year, sleeping did not affect weight gain. Physical activity had a little correlation, but the scientists admit that their study did not test this factor well enough to be a credible result. Another study done explores the specific factors that contribute to weight gain upon the arrival at a university. Hellmich Nanci, who works for USA Today, studied college males and females and polled their drinking habits, physical activity levels and eating habits in general. Research from this article suggests that increased consumption of alcohol, mainly beer, and a decreased amount of aerobic activity are the main causes of weight gain in college. According to the Nanci, habits established during freshman year are crucial to weight management and health. Scientists Delinsky and Wilson conducted an experiment in which female college freshman were questioned about their BMI, their dietary habits, and their self-esteem. The purpose was to discover whether or not during their freshman year of college, women gain a significant amount of weight, if there is a relationship between dieting and weight gain, if eating disorders become more prevalent, and if there is a relationship between the number of women who diet and their fears about the ÒFreshman 15.Ó The study showed that women did in fact gain weight and that dieting reduced the risk of weight gain. The study also showed that there was an increase in the prevalence of eating disorders and self esteem issues. In this study, 101 female college students were studied in order to find out if a stable diet and activity level during their first year of college was related to weight gain. Scientists from the Journal of American College Health had these students record their food intake and their activity levels daily. They noted the number of minutes that they exercised as well its intensity level. The results of the study disproved the common assumption that caloric intake increased drastically for freshman women in college. Caloric intake actually decreased. Women who lost weight were reported to change their activity level very minimally, whereas those who gained weight decreased their physical activity level. Danella Gilmore Kasparek from the ÒJournal of American College HealthÓ conducted a study designed to This article is about a study designed to investigate the influence of physical activity, alcohol consumption, and fruit and vegetable consumption on weight gain in college students. Freshman at Winthrop University were surveyed once in the fall about these factors, and then were given a follow up survey in the fall about the same ones. The BMIÕs of the students were recorded in the beginning of the study. More than half of the students who participated in the survey reported weight gain during the time period of the study. It was found that the factor most linked to weight gain was initial BMI score. Those with higher initial BMIÕs gained more weight than those with lower BMIÕs. This suggests that the factors that were initially being investigated do not have as great of an impact on weight gain as the predisposition of someone to having a higher weight. Another study was conducted by Jatturong R. Wichianson from the ÒJournal of the International Society for the Investigation of StressÓ in order to investigate the relationship between the ways that college students cope with stress and Night Eating Syndrome. They list 2 strategies. One is called problem-focused coping which is adaptive and emotional-focused coping which is maladaptive. They suggest that maladaptive coping strategies are associated with NES. This is night eating syndrome which is characterized by late night binge eating and starvation in the mornings. This can lead to weight gain. A survey was given to randomly selected college students that assessed health behaviors such as NES, coping behaviors and perceived stress levels. Demographics were also taken into account. The study showed that high levels of stress can lead to maladaptive coping strategies that can then lead to night eating. Researcher Melissa C. Nelson from the ÒJournal of Nutrition Education & BehaviorÓ investigated which factors contributed to dietary and physical activity levels of college students. Patterns showed that there were many factors such as availability of food in the dorm, boredom, lack of time for exercise, as well as others that were linked to changes in diet, weight and physical activity. In her study, Allison Pullman studied the health effects of the transition from high school to university. Specifically, it focuses anthropometrics and sedentary and physical activities in males. 108 males visited 3 times to have body mass, height, body mass index (BMI), body fat, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-hip ratio, dietary intake, and participation in physical and sedentary activity measured. The study found that there was a significant weight gain of about 3.0 kg within the first year. It was also found that aerobic activity decreased while nutrient intake remained relatively the same despite an increase in drinking. Additionally, study time in front of the computer increases and sleep amounts decreased. Aaron Crombie describes a study where the magnitude of first year university students is reevaluated. The purpose of the study was to search for the specific change in body composition changes. The conclusion of the study showed an average weight gain of 3.1-3.4 kg for those who did gain weight. They also mentioned that there may have been a group of students with a greater predisposition for weight gain and that they should be studied in the future. Klasen, Subhani and Maher conducted a study on Night Eating Syndrome which is the consumption of more that 50% of oneÕs daily calories after 7 pm. In the study, NES is related to the Òfreshman fifteenÓ and sought out to answer the questions if college weight gain exists, and identify meal and sleep patterns linked to college weight gain. This experiment surveyed 13 female and 16 male college seniors and concluded that there was no correlation between body mass index and % of calories consumed after 7 pm.

All of these experiments and studies have tested relevant factors that contribute to weight gain in college freshmen. We are interested in finding which of these factors is the largest contributor in the notorious Òfreshmen fifteen.Ó Because there are so many possible factors in this phenomenon, it is useful for us to have background on the subject through past experiments. We are testing some of the same factors that have been studied in other experiments and some untested factors as well. We hope to compare these results with those of our own experiment and to provide more credibility to the theory of the factors affecting the Òfreshmen fifteen.Ó Since we are testing factors that relate more closely to the daily life of a Miami student, our results will be more applicable. Hopefully, our results will aid our fellow classmates and ourselves in avoiding a weight gain during freshmen year.
Experimental Design
In order to measure the relevance of various factors on weight gain in freshmen during their first year of college, we will use a survey. The survey will include specific yes or no questions, which relate to the factors we plan to test. These factors include alcohol consumption increase since high school, activity level increase and decrease since high school, higher junk food intake since high school, whether or not a student stayed up past one a.m. on weekdays, and whether the student used Diplomat or Passport for his or her meal plan. Many of these factors have been tested in past experiments, and we are interested to see if the same factors apply at Miami. Others, specifically MiamiÕs meal plans, have not been tested; however, we feel meal plan plays a large role in eating habits and consequential weight gain during freshman year. In order for the survey to be random, we will use a large random sample of one hundred upper-class students, who record that they gained some variable amount of weight during their freshman year. We will not specify between males and females, current year in college, or the amount of weight gained. We will pass out the surveys at various locations on campus, including Shriver Center, King Library, and the Farmer School of Business. Once we have collected one hundred surveys that express weight gain, we will graph our results in a bar graph. The bar graph will be a easy comparison of which factor was the most repetitive in relation to the Òfreshmen fifteen.Ó
Materials and Methods
We issued the survey we developed to a total amount of 100 people, equally divided between genders. The locations at which the surveys were distributed were dining halls and resident halls such as Brandon, Anderson, Harris, and Shriver. Since, in total, our goal was 100 people and there are three of us performing this experiment, each of us collected 34 surveys. All three of us went to the three distinct destinations at the same time to ensure the same people did not fill out the survey twice. Questions such as year in college and major were asked for background information and were included for interest. The rest of the questions are very pointed and directed towards eating habits, meal plans and food availability in the dorm. Sections of the survey include yes/no, multiple choice, and rate 1 to 5. Data from these questions was used to formulate graphs and tables displaying results.

The following shows the survey that will be handed out:

1. What is your Gender?
a. Male
b. Female
2. What is your current age in years? ____________________
3. In what year do you expect to graduate from Miami University? _____________
4. What is your major? ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ_________________________________________
5. Do you have a Passport meal plan?
a. Yes
b. No
6. Do you have a diplomat meal plan?
a. Yes
b. No
7. How much food do you have food in your dorm?
a. (I have no food in my room) 1 2 3 4 5 (I only eat in my room)
8. Have you gained weigh since High School?
a. Yes
b. No
9. Have you lost weight since High School?
a. Yes
b. No
10. Do you stay up past 1 am regularly?
a. Yes
b. No
11. If yes, do you eat after 1 am?
a. Yes
b. No
12. Since arriving at Miami, has your intake of junk food increased?
a. Yes
b. No
13. Since arriving at Miami, has your intake of junk food decreased?
a. Yes
b. No
14. Since arriving at Miami, has your intake of alcohol increased?
a. Yes
b. No
15. Since arriving at Miami, has your intake of alcohol decreased?
a. Yes
b. No
16. On average, do you eat 3 meals each day?
a. Yes
b. No
17. Since arriving at Miami, has your activity level increased?
a. Yes
b. No
18. Since arriving at Miami, has your activity level decreased?
a. Yes
b. No

This is a copy of the data table we will fill out as we tally up our surveys:
Yes No
Passport
Diplomat
Stay up past 1am
Eat late at night
Junk food increase
Junk food decrease
Alcohol increase
Alcohol decrease
Eat 3 meals /day
Activity level increase
Activity level decrease

Research Time Line
November 3: Proposal due
November 7-8: Hand out surveys
November 14: Have data collected and on a data table
November 19: Finish graphs and discuss possible Conclusions
November 25: Have Conclusion and the final report typed and completed
December 1: Do revision on the final report
December 9: Make any last-minute changes and print out the final report
Works Cited
Crombie, Aaron P., et al. "The freshman weight gain phenomenon revisited." Nutrition
Reviews 67.2 (2009): 83-94. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 1 Nov. 2009.
Delinsky, Sherrie S., and G. Terence Wilson "Weight gain, dietary restraint, and
disordered eating in the freshman year of college." Eating Behaviors 9.1 (2008): 82-90. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.
DESHPANDE, SAMEER, MICHAEL D. BASIL, and DEBRA Z. BASIL "Factors
Influencing Healthy Eating Habits Among College Students: An Application of
the Health Belief Model." Health Marketing Quarterly 26.2 (2009): 145-164. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.
Hodge, Carole Nhu'y, and Linda A. Jackson "The `freshman 15.'." Psychology of Women
Quarterly 17.1 (1993): 119. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Oct. 2009.
Kasparek, Danella Gilmore, et al. "Selected Health Behaviors That Influence College
Freshman Weight Change." Journal of American College Health 56.4 (2008): 437-444. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
Klasen, Elizabeth, Miral Subhani, and Margaret Maher "Meal Patterns and College
Weight Changes." FASEB Journal 21.6 (2007): A1064-A1065. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 1 Nov. 2009.
Jung, Mary Elizabeth, Steven Russell Bray, and Kathleen Anne Martin Ginis "Behavior
Change and the Freshman 15: Tracking Physical Activity and Dietary Patterns in 1st-Year University Women." Journal of American College Health 56.5 (2008): 523-530. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.
Levitsky, D. A., C. A. Halbmaier, and G. Mrdjenovic "The freshman weight gain: a
model for the study of the epidemic of obesity." International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders 28.11 (2004): 1435-1442. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Oct. 2009.
Nanci, Hellmich "Bad habits contribute to weight gain throughout college." USA Today
n.d.: Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.
Nelson, Melissa C., et al. "Understanding the Perceived Determinants of Weight-related
Behaviors in Late Adolescence: A Qualitative Analysis among College Youth." Journal of Nutrition Education & Behavior 41.4 (2009): 287-292. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 24 Oct. 2009.
Pullman, Allison W., et al. "Effect of the transition from high school to university on
anthropometric and lifestyle variables in males." Applied Physiology, Nutrition &
Metabolism 34.2 (2009): 162-171. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 1 Nov. 2009.
Wichianson, Jatturong R., et al. "Perceived stress, coping and night-eating in college
students." Stress & Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress 25.3 (2009): 235-240. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 24 Oct. 2009.