Lack of Exercise among College Students
For most people it is common knowledge that maintaining an active lifestyle and exercising on a daily basis is essential to a healthy life, research shows that approximately fifty percent of all college students see a decrease in regular exercise following high school graduation (Kilapatrick 2005). The decline of regular exercise displays a problem in more then a few colleges; the correlation of increased sedentary lifestyle and decreased physical activity is a national issue throughout all colleges and universities.
Scientific data shows a decline in the level of physical activity in students from high school to college. Approximately only 38 percent of college students regularly participate in vigorous exercise and 20 percent participate in moderate activity. On the other hand, 68 percent high school students participate in vigorous physical activity and approximately 26 percent participate in moderate physical activity (Kilapatrick 2005). The data demonstrates a drastic change in the amount of exercise in a one to two year span.
According to the Behavioral Risk Surveillance System, the highest correlation of obesity, weight gain and lack of exercise falls in the age cohort of 18 to 29 years. “Latter results suggest that the transition between adolescence and adulthood, a common age for college attendance, frequently is accompanied by dramatic and inappropriate weight gain” (Weight Changes, Exercise). An assessment performed by National College Health reported that 57 percent of male and 61 percent female college students did not participate in any vigorous or moderate exercise for 3 days in a week (Buckworth 2004). The decrease in exercise does not stem from a lack of desire, howev...
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...lege students. Journal of Exercise Physiology, 11(5), Retrieved from Ebben, William, and Laura Brudzynski.
Kilpatrick, M., Hebert, E., & Bartholomew, J. (2005). College students' motivation for physical activity: Differentiating men's and women's motives for sport participation and exercise . Journal of American College Health, 54(2), Retrieved from http://www.edb.utexas.edu/education/assets/files/KHE/Bartholomew Publicatoins/College Student
Physical activity for everyone: Overcoming barriers to physical activity. (2011, February 14). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/getactive/barriers.html
Weight Changes, Exercise, and Dietary Patterns During Freshman and Sophomore Years of College Susan B Racette, Susan S Deusinger, Michael J Strube, Gabrielle R Highstein, Robert H Deusinger
Journal of American College Health
Vol. 53, Iss. 6, 2005
Desai, William C. Miller, Betty Staples and Terrill Bravender. I believed that this was a credible source because all of the authors have a medical degree. This article provided similar data saying that the percentage of people ages 12 to 19 who were overweight or obese rapidly increased from 5% to 17% between 1976 and 2002 (Desai 109). From this document I learned that college years are known to influence the forms of our adult behaviors including diet, physical activity, and other habits. Being a college student, I knew that college was going to change my work ethic and ability to do achieve new responsibilities but I did not know that it could actually greatly affect our weight. In the source it states that results from “both the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey" show that the transition to adulthood, a high number of people become obese and remain obese (Desai 109). One way I thought of this transformation was the freshman fifteen. The source was able to identify patterns of obesity but they still have not fully discovered examples of obese behaviors. However, the authors of this paper were able to perform a study to at least suggest some examples of behaviors related to obesity. They examined data collected from an electronic survey
The book begins by explaining how important exercise and being active is to our health and well-being. The author then transitions into a story about Naperville Central High School. This high school was in the forefront of a revolutionary new concept that involved vigorous exercise of its students instead of a traditional gym class. This new approach stimulated new research on the brain, and the effects of exercise on the well being of our body and minds. After the introduction of the new fitness programs, the school’s students showed drastic increases in standardized tests, and on normal tests as well.
Students who participate in sports remain physically active. Student athletes have practice and must keep “in shape” to compete against other high school teams. Researchers have said the younger population has grown obese. Students who remain in high school sports have a lower risk of becoming obese. Obesity is growing rapidly in the nation and having kids participate in sports will help the nation’s obesity rate decrease. The reason students stay healthy is because the practice may involve running, weight training, and flexibility to help stay in “shape”. Students involved in sports are also encouraged to eat better to ensure the best body to perform at top level. Athletes have a desire to win and be the best. This forces an athlete to live a healthier
[3] 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 Obesity28.11 (2004): 1435-442. Print.
Obesity is a growing trend that is affecting individuals significantly in the U.S. and throughout the world. “As of 2013, Kentucky ranks 42 in the U.S. for obesity and over the past year the rate of obesity has risen from 30.4 percent to 31.3 percent among its population.”1 Many factors contribute to the rate of obesity in Kentucky, but, in my opinion, the most significant contributing factor to this trend is physical inactivity. I am a resident of a very rural and underdeveloped community in Eastern Kentucky, where a significant portion of the population lives with a triage of comorbidities (diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and hypertension). I feel that these disease states that plague individuals could be improved significantly with a life style intervention of increasing physical activity. Several barriers that decrease physical activity for our community must be overcome to improve the health of our community, among the most significant of these barriers includes the built environment due to lack of infrastructure, poverty from lack of jobs, and a negative cultural perception on exercise. I would like to lobby to school board members of Johnson Central High School to allow public access of local community members to use school facilities during non-school hours to increase physical activity to improve the health of its community.
other hand, obesity accounts for about 13 percent of children in the United States, which is why physical education programs should be one of the last things to go. They also help students release the stress they have built up through out the day and teach them the ...
Racette, S.B., Deusinger, S.S., Strube, M.J., Highstein, G.R., & Deusinger, R.H. (2005). Weight changes, exercise, and dietary patterns during freshman and sophomore years of college. Journal of American College Health, 53(8), 245-251.
All college students have heard of the dreaded “freshman fifteen.” The majority of students see it as inevitability. This college curse is caused by a drastic change in lifestyle and eating habits. College students are more likely to eat unhealthy food and less likely to exercise. However, steps can be taken to avoid needless weight gain. Despite the hectic lifestyles of teens, they know that a balance of exercise and good nutrition is the key to health.
Many college students experience the Freshman 15 while being in their first year of college, hence the fifteen pounds that freshmen are supposedly going to gain. Each and every person might experience weight gain differently throughout their life. The Freshman 15 is always an important conflict to stay away from. Throughout our busy college lives many students experience a lack of free time to do what they want. Many people put off their free time due to spending so much time on school work. There is practically no time to do anything else. The Freshman 15 could easily creep up on anyone at any time no matter how or what the situation is. This could have a long term effect on the per...
Physical movement has never been more imperative in the United States than it is today. The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition finds that only one out of three grown-ups in the United States is getting the suggested measure of physical activity every week. More than 78 million U.S. grown-ups and around 12.5 million children and young people are considered to be over weight or obese. Getting the motivation to start a work out schedule can be an overwhelming, undertaking, particularly with diversions like TV, fast-food eateries, and sugary snacks accessible at all hours of the day.
This study investigated the motivations for people to engage in exercise or sports and whether these factors differ between the two types of physical activity and by genders. The researchers hypothesized that people will be more likely enjoy and therefore to continue to engage in physical activity in the form of sports than in the form of exercise. Researching motivation for physical activity is essential for designing programs to encourage such habits in American college students, who are not often sufficiently active from a health perspective. The hypothesis was based on earlier studies comparing motivation for different forms of physical activity. Since these studies were few and not very comprehensive in accounting for sources of motivation, the authors wanted to explore the issue in more detail. The study was correlational and survey-based. College students enrolled in lower level health classes at a large, state school rated their physical activity habits including the frequency, duration, and level of perceived exertion with which they engaged in sports and exercise respectively. Sports was defined to include the elements of rules and competitiveness while exercise was defined in terms of the goal of achieving fitness. Participants also completed two versions of the Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 (EMI-2) questionnaire— one for sports and one for exercise—rating their level of motivation on multiple items in 14 subscales such as Challenge, Enjoyment, Health pressure, etc.
Many college students struggle to get exercise in daily. Even when they get there exercise in, more times than not students do not get a quality workout. By not doing a quality workout it defeats the purpose of working out. The purpose of working out is to get healthier and if a college student doesn’t improve while working out over a certain period of time, then they are doing pointless workouts, wasting their time. Thankfully, there is a solution to solve the ongoing problem of getting quality workouts and improving overall health of college students. Running is gaining steam across America and is especially gaining popularity throughout colleges. Running is the only form of exercise that will allow students to become aware of his or her
When hearing the words exercise and transportation together, most default to the basic modes such as walking, running, and biking. What these people do not know is the fact that something as simple as cycling can help prevent diseases such as obesity, cancer, mental illness, diabetes, and heart problems. Physical activity is crucial in todays world because is provides a multitude of health benefits in the long run. In an attempt to increase physical activity and overall health in college students, an Exercise is Medicine intervention must be created. For example, changing the way students get to class, meaning an alternative from walking or bus, so that they get involved in a different type of physical activity. It is important for students
Over the past decades our culture has changes dramatically. To which our nation was once a physically active nation. Yet now it seems that society discourages physical activity. The human race has been dependent on automobiles, discouraging people to walk or bike, increasing the chance of a poor life-style. Yet there are many factors that affect the achievement and maintenance of a healthy life. Young people are growing into a diverse society, which is characterized by rapid change, inactive work and leisure practices that influence unhealthy behaviors. By incorporating physical activity into peoples daily routine will increase their chances of being healthier, reducing certain diseases and learning how to avoid injuries. Physical education helps students improve their knowledge about health issues and practices that will lead to a more enjoyable life. Students playing and working in a team together develop social skills, teamwork, achieving goals, and development of self-esteem. Overall physical education provides the potential for a better life style.
Obesity rates in North America are appallingly high; all states in the USA report over a fifth of the adult population being obese and over a third in some Southern states (Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama) (The State of Obesity, 2016). Eighty percent of adults from the USA do not meet the government’s minimum recommendations for physical activity. The government health guidelines state that adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise weekly (health.gov, 2008). Obesity can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular problems, low self-esteem, and other health issues. Physical activity has physiological health benefits (muscle growth, cardiovascular health, and more), and psychological benefits (escalated energy, reduced stress, and higher self-confidence) (Association for Applied Sports Psychology, 2016). Unfortunately, over a quarter of American high school students are overweight or obese (The State of Obesity, 2016), and this will set a standard for them for the rest of their life. Campaigns promoting exercise and outdoor exercise should target youth and should put additional work into the Southern states, which are statistically the