As obesity rates increase, the U.S solidifies an example of culturally influenced weight problems and is regarded as one of the fattest nations in the world. College campuses in the U.S. are the perfect example of cultural weight gain. The large number of freshmen gaining the stereotypical “freshman 15” can be explained through poor diet and exercising practices developed in college and the university’s dining options. It is a common concern for approaching college students to gain fifteen pounds while adjusting to school life. A great approach to help illuminate such an issue is to tell students about this health issue that is continuing to thrive. Colleges need to take more actions and include a health and wellness segment to our Univ. 1000 classes in which students will learn what they should eat and what habits to avoid.
Today, innovative college freshmen orientation is a semester long class, for college credit, often mandatory, and thought by faculty and administrators. The course often contains information on academic policies, time management, and academic success. By adding a health and wellness segment to the course, it will help increase students’ knowledge on nutrition and fitness, and deal with the common experience of weight gain during the first year of college. The aim is to have nutrition communication students present a nutrition topic in Univ. 1000 classes during the teaching of the health and wellness component.
The transition from high school to university environment presents many changes in the lives of university freshman students. Unfortunately, students are not leaving home prepared enough for the world of late night pizza and consumption of alcohol that characterizes most students’ college years. Many h...
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On the whole, staying healthy and active while juggling between school work and social life can be tough, but the benefits usually gained from it is never-ending. As such, it is extremely important to maintain a healthy diet and make time to engage in exercise to stay fit and healthy. The segment will fill students with information to stay healthy and active to fight off the dreaded “freshman 15.”
Works Cited
International Business, Times. "'Freshman 15': Weight Gain a Myth Researchers Say." International Business Times 10: Regional Business News. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.
Zagorsky, Jay L., and Patricia K. Smith. "The Freshman 15: A Critical Time for Obesity Intervention or Media Myth?” Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) 92.5 (2011): 1389-1407. Business Source Complete. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
Walk onto any college campus or any other type of school campus and you will see many students that are either obese or close to being obese. Many cafeterias serve healthy foods and non-healthy foods. Schools came up with the rule that you can’t check out lunch without a fruit or vegetable. The only problem is that most students end up taking them and end up wasting them by throwing them away. Considering I am a college student, I understand the challenge of eating unhealthy when I am trying to eat healthier. Overall, I know that if I don 't start eating healthier soon I could end up gaining a lot of weight and become obese. For this research project, I decided to ask, what can be done about the problem of obesity in our country? This question
In conclusion the moral of this story is simple- colleges should take more responsibility and initiative when it comes to the food choices and the health of their students. The college needs to offer better food choices in their dining areas. The hours of operation should be between normal eating hours so the option to eat at an unusual or indecent hour is obsolete, and proportions should be strictly regulated and enforced. While most would argue that it is the students fault for gaining weight, I believe the facts presented are obvious in pointing you in the other direction. The school has all of the power and needs to address this issue accordingly before the epidemic becomes bigger than what we can handle.
Experts who study the concept of the “Freshman 15” are deeply divided in their findings. Some downplay the significance of the problem of freshman weight gain, basing their findings only on the average weight gain among college students. In a study done by the Journal of American College Health, found that of the 59 percent of students who gained weight the average increase was only 4.6 pounds. They concluded their study by stating that they believed the Freshman 15 is a myth, based upon that premise (Graham, and Jones). The truth is that fifty-nine percent of the students studied did gain weight, and not all students are going to gain exactly fifteen pounds. Other experts do however believe that weight gain among college freshman is a very serious problem. Registered dietitian Ann Selkowitz Litt recently authored, “The College Students Guide to Eating Well on Campus,” which is designed to help college students make the right eating choices. On an online chat with several college students on USA Today’s website she stated that “College students now are gaining the "freshman 20" or "freshman 25.” She blames the growing problem on erratic eating habits, the drinking large quantities of alcoh...
[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.
One factor of the freshman 15 is the student’s living environment. Students living on campus in residence halls are more prone to weight gain than students living at home with their parents or off campus (Provencher et al., 2009). This is due to the availability of food on campus at various universities that studies were held. While students living at home with their parents often have home cooked meals, often dining halls in college campuses serve food with an all-you-can eat buffet style, where students are free to eat as much as they like. Students living away from ...
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...
Obesity is an epidemic in America, greatly impacting youth, the health care system, and economically vulnerable populations. Among all of the high-income countries in the world, obesity rates remain the highest in the US. According to Harvard, US obesity rates have more than doubled since 1980, although they have remained the same since 2003. (Harvard School of Public Health) Approximately 31.9% of children and adolescents from the ages of 2 to 19 are obese or overweight (NPLAN), while roughly 69% of adults fall into the category of overweight or obese. (Harvard School of Public Health) With obesity rates this high, America is facing a huge crisis that could become greater in the future. In order to understand the issue of Obesity in America it is important to evaluate the extent to which the problem effects large populations of children and adults and how the fast food industry has served as one of the major causes of this epidemic.
College students struggle to find accessible healthy meals. This inaccessibility may derive from insufficient funds, scheduling or the inability to cook. In Owensboro, the cheapest foods tend to contain additives and unnecessary byproducts. Healthy foods sit on the shelves, students struggle to afford the fresh foods or cannot cook with them. A young person may leave healthy options at the store for convenience food sources often results in said person eating an unhealthy diet. Finding healthy foods with a college time schedule and budget presents a challenge to many students. Students attempting to eat healthy on a shoestring budget, and cook a meal on a tight schedule often give up. Many surveyed college students eat less than 2 servings of vegetables a day (Rao 1). During their college years college students develop eating habits that can follow them throughout their lives. Eating fruits and vegetables contributes to healthy young adults and possibly promotes emotional well-being (White 1). Many college students eat out because it is cheaper and faster than eating at home. Processed foods tend be more available and cheaper, activly going out and buying better foods tends to be more expensive.
Did you know that 35% of the United States population is considered obese? Also, 66% of the population is considered overweight or more? (Saint Onge 2014) Even more frightening, in 2012 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than one third of children and adolescents in America were overweight or obese (CDC 2014). The media sources used investigates the political, scientific, historical, and cultural reasons behind the childhood obesity epidemic in America. Obesity is a rapid growing epidemic in America and these sources present the facts causing this epidemic. As well as how the children of the American society are being wrongly influenced by the media, especially advertisments. (Greenstreet 2008).
For students who refuse to be part of the stereotype, or gain weight at all throughout their college years, skipping meals and dieting comes into play. Eating disorders can plague students as well. According to The Kellogg Report: the impact of nutrition, environment, and lifestyle on the health of Americans, without the more watchful eye of a parent, students with eating disorders may be more apt to go unnoticed for a longer period of time.
"TeensHealth." When Being Overweight Is a Health Problem. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. .
Relevance: Weight problems are something a lot of people struggle with in college. I.E.; Freshman 15. And being healthy in college can really help people deal with other stuff better. Because when you don’t have to worry about your health you can focus on exams and homework more.
When one goes away to college, their life changes dramatically. They are forced to make changes in their own lives in order to adapt to college life. When one is in high school and living at home, their eating habits and personal hygiene practices are for the most part controlled by their parents. They are told what to eat and when to eat it. They are told to keep their room clean and to take their vitamins, etc. When one moves away to college, they are on their own. There is no one telling them to clean their room, or to do laundry or what they have to eat. In some colleges and universities, it is required that freshmen live on campus and eat at least two meals a day in the dining hall. This isn't necessarily for the university to monitor a student's eating habits but rather to get the student acquainted with the campus and other people living there. Food served in college dining halls has not been known for it's nutritional value. However, over the past couple of years college chefs have been working to change that. While a lot of students have committed to eating the healthier foods and trying to stay healthy, the vast majority lives on pizza and taco bell or any other cheap fast food chain that is open until the late hours of the night. College is a fast paced environment and fast food caters to college students. In this fast paced environment, students more often than not neglect their health and personal hygiene and the consequences range from obesity to deadly eating disorders.
Obesity in adults has recently become a big issue. With more and more adults becoming obese every day it’s pretty obvious why it’s become such a big deal. People everywhere are now exercising more to get fit, but most the time they forget to improve their nutrition. The obesity rate in adults isn’t the only thing to rise greatly. Teenagers and kids are now facing the same problems with obesity as adults are. The main problems that cause obesity are poor nutrition and a lack of exercise. Many people now are focus on exercising and forgetting how big of a role nutrition plays in weight. Obesity hasn’t been too much of a problem in generations before, but now it’s become a really big issue. I believe bad habits that start at a young age are harder to break when we’re older, which is why I want to focus on teenagers and their poor eating habits. I think the poor eating habits of teenagers transfer into adult hood where they become obese because they are no longer growing but still eating whatever they want. I want to know why the nutrition of teenagers now is so poor compared to the generations before us. Being a teenager myself, I can write about the bad eating habits I personally have, in an attempt to fix them by becoming better informed. I hope to completely break my bad habits by totally changing what I eat and my perspective on food.