Research
Research and Professional Brief
Body Weight and Percent Body Fat Increase during the Transition from High School to University in Females

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2008.03.002Get rights and content

Abstract

A critical period for weight gain may occur during the transition from high school to university. This descriptive, noncontrolled cohort study of 116 healthy females examined the effect of this transition over three study visits in first year university. The main outcome measure was body weight; others were height, body composition, waist circumference, dietary intake, and participation in physical and sedentary activities. Difference among study visits was determined by repeated measures analysis of variance; multiple regression examined changes in energy intake and physical and sedentary activities as predictors of final weight. Weight increased (P<0.001) by 2.4 kg (61.4 to 63.8 kg) during the entire course of the study. Other increases (P<0.001) included: body mass index (calculated as kg/m2), 22.3 to 23.1; percent body fat, 23.8% to 25.6%; and waist circumference, 76.9 to 79.4 cm. Dietary energy intake did not increase; vigorous physical, but not strength building, activities increased; television use decreased; and computer use increased (P<0.03 for all): however, these changes were not predictive of final weight. A change (decrease) in moderate physical activity was, however, an important predictor of final weight. Females making the transition to university gained 2.4 kg; weight gain during this formative period may be modified by lifestyle activities.

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Study Design and Participants

This was a noncontrolled, descriptive cohort study. A convenience sample of 128 incoming first-year female students was recruited through posters, hand-distributed flyers, campus advertisements (online and newspaper), and word of mouth. Eligibility criteria included: age 17 to 20 years; acceptance to the University of Guelph; intention to live away from home; and not pregnant. Written informed consent was obtained with parental consent for those younger than 18 years. Approval was from the

Results and Discussion

The major finding of this study was that there was a substantial increase in body weight of 2.4 kg during the first 6 to 7 months of university in a sample of Canadian university females (Table 1). Observed weight gain is similar to that reported by some investigators (11, 13), but higher than that of others (8, 12, 14, 15). Differences may be attributed to higher attrition rates (30% to 34%) in studies in which low weight gain was reported (9, 10, 12, 15) compared to the attrition rate in this

Conclusions

In conclusion, these exploratory results suggest that the term freshman 15 may not be accurate for describing weight gain in first-year university students because average weight gain in a group of 116 first-year female university students was 2.4 kg during 6 to 7 months. However, weight gain at this rate during an extended period of time could lead to overweight/obesity and is certainly cause for concern. Our results also suggest that a decrease in moderate physical activity could play a role

M. J. Edmonds is a clinical dietitian, Etobicoke General Hospital, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada; at the time of the study, she was a student, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

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  • Cited by (0)

    M. J. Edmonds is a clinical dietitian, Etobicoke General Hospital, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada; at the time of the study, she was a student, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

    K. J. Ferreira is employed at the Natural Health Products Division, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; at the time of the study, she was a student, Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

    E. A. Nikiforuk is a student, Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; at the time of the study, she was a student, Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

    A. K. Finnie is a dietetic intern, Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; at the time of the study, she was a student, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

    S. H. Leavey is a medical student, University of Ottawa Medical School, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; at the time of the study, she was a student, Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

    A. M. Duncan is associate professor, Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

    J. A. Randall Simpson is assistant professor, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

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