Rob Geis, a current college student, explains, “A student is not at fault for unwanted weight gain. It is the college meal plans that cause the gain in weight. Many colleges require incoming freshmen to be on a meal plan” (Geis). Parents like the meal plans because they know their child is getting meals every day, but the plan does have its downsides. Geis believes that many students do not eat three meals every day. “If we don’t eat every meal we are given, we are wasting our money which was used to buy the meal plan. So, it is either gain weight or waste money” (Geis). This may cause the family of the student to get upset. The parents may reduce the student’s meal plan for the next year, which would make the student eat less. The student may then be at an unhealthy weight. This could cause tension between the student and his or her family. Students face physical and mental problems, and they need strategies to optimize their health. A student’s overall health in college involves many aspects.
The physical health of a student plays a major role in his or her health. First, according to Malinauskas et al., “The ‘Freshman Fifteen’ could be considered an epidemic”. In a recent study conducted by Jung et al. and Whyshak explain that 90% of college students have heard of the “Freshman Fifteen” (qtd. in Carithers-Thomas et al.). A student can keep a healthy weight if he or she knows that knowledge. Also, a student may help his or her friends in keeping a healthy weight; eventually, lowering the average weight gained in college. In another study conducted by Graham and Jones, they report 59% of college freshman gain weight in his or her first year of college (qtd. in Carithers-Thomas et al.). This could lead a student to ...
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Merianos, Ashley, et al. "The Impact of Self-Esteem and Social Support on College Students' Mental Health." American Journal of Health Studies. EBSCOhost, Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. .
Dineley, Johnson. "College Health 101: How to Stay Healthy on Campus." Nation's Health. EBSCOhost, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. .
Orender, Michael. Instant messenger interview. 23 Apr. 2014.
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...
The debate has been going on for years. Is it normal or should you be concerned about the freshman 15. The freshman 15 is a term known for the around fifteen or plus pounds a typical college student gains during their first year of college. The usual argument is that college students are unprepared for life on their own and that once they have control they make eating healthy their last priority. However, an article from the Huffington Post suggests otherwise; that in fact it is not the students fault but the schools and their overwhelming smorgasbord of unhealthy food choices.
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 ...
Every year thousands of students are recruited to be student athletes at colleges and every year approximately 8 million individuals suffer from eating disorders. According to Psychology Applied to Modern Life, eating disorders are defined as “severe disturbances in eating behavior characterized by preoccupation with weight and unhealthy efforts to control weight (Weiten, Dunn, Hammer, 2011, p. 470).” Eating disorders can include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. With risk factors such as low self esteem, pressure from family, friends and coaches and access to unlimited to food it is no wonder that collegiate athletes have higher rates of eating disorders than regular college students. Living in a dorm full of mostly athletes it has become extremely apparent to me that these athletes struggle with immense of pressure and one way of getting around this pressure is bulimia. Certain sports put more pressure on athletes to be a certain size and perform at a certain level than others.
College student drunkenness is far from new and neither are college and university efforts to control it. What is new, however, is the potential to make real progress on this age-old problem based on scientific research results. New research-based information about the consequences of high-risk college drinking and how to reduce it can empower colleges and universities, communities, and other interested organizations to take effective action. Hazardous drinking among college students is a widespread problem that occurs on campuses of all sizes and geographic locations. A recent survey of college students conducted by the Harvard University School of Public Health reported that 44 percent of respondents had drunk more than five drinks (four for women) consecutively in the previous two weeks. About 23 percent had had three or more such episodes during that time. The causes of this problem are the fact that students are living by themselves no longer with parents or guardians; they earn their own money; students need to be a part of a group, be accepted; and they have the wrong idea that to feel drunk is “cool.”
[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.
According to an article by Josephine Marcotty in Minneapolis’ Star Tribune from April 10, college students lead “hyper-enriched lives,” said Greg Kneser, dean of students at St. Olaf College. That’s what makes this generation of students distinct from its predecessors, he said. That is why more students who cannot cope with these feelings end up at college counseling centers with “increasingly serious mental-health problems.” 15 to 20 percent of college students nationally were diagnosed with depression. The second most common diagnosis was severe anxiety. According to the article, it is not unusual for mental-health issues to become apparent during a student’s college years.
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.
... Journal Of American College Health 59.7 (2011): 588-594. Academic Search Elite. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
The nutrients that they get from food are what contribute to help all the systems in their body function properly. In their first year, students are in a transition phase between the kind and amount of nutrients they used to get at home and the ones they are getting in college. Instead of helping students make a smooth transition, the food that is offered in the meal plan makes it rough for them. This rough transition occurs mainly occurs because the meal plan 's food does not have high nutritional value. Consequently, the results of the rough transition reflects on the student 's health, academic performance, and athletic performance. For instance, Kelly Harris, a first-year student-athlete, said, "It would be easier to eat healthier without meal plans, that’s for sure.” When you have meal plans and you can eat at the school’s buffet. People do not tend to eat the healthiest of foods prepared when so many delicious, rather than nutritious, options are served. A correlation between fifteen pounds of weight gain and the college freshman year has been made because of meal plans. Many of the meals provided to students with meal plans are not quality meals, just innutritious food. They are prepared ahead of time and have been sitting out. That does not sound healthy or appetizing to me. I think that eating unhealthy food, such as the food provided by the meal plan, is not benefiting my energy level. It could
When you get to college, you have so much freedom, it can be overwhelming. This is probably why so many college freshmen gain weight during their first year of undergraduate school. There are no rules! At least, that 's how it seems.
For some people college is where they are at their unhealthiest due to the lack of time and other
Educational institutions have the potential to, first and foremost, educate and assist the young people of today with making the positive, healthful choices necessary to maintain good health. Over 4,500 students have been followed in recent research studies and these “thousands of sixth graders who participated in a school-based health program were less obese by eighth grade than a group of similar children who did not, according to a new study done for the National Institutes of Health” (Rabin). Schools need to create health programs focused on assisting all children suffering from being overweight or obese. Policies such as fitness programs, nutrition classes, and healthful meals can even impact every student by creating a strong foundation and awareness of the negative, long term effects associated with practicing unhealthy habits. Although the financial expenses would be necessary, the adaption of scho...
People eat food every day without thinking twice about it, because it is a necessity for us to live. How often do you think about what is in the foods that you eat? How many calories does it have? Are there any vitamins and minerals in it? Is it high in fat? For most of us and especially college students who live a busy life on the go, the answer to that question is probably no. Since becoming a recent graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts, I have been more interested in food and what people are eating. Also since more young Americans are becoming obese I want to find out what they are eating and where. Going to college and seeing how students have poor eating habits I want to find out why they are eating this way. Is it because they are away from home for the first time? Or is it because that is the only food that is available for them? I also want to find out if students would eat healthier if it was provided for them? My hypothesis is that students eat unhealthy because it is more convenient for them. There is usually no time to cook a homemade meal and most college students are always in a hurry so it is easier to pick up takeout. Also most college students don’t know how to cook. I also believe that most college students don’t care if the food is unhealthy for them, as long as it tastes good. Hopefully, in the following pages I will uncover the wide world of college eating.
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.