The Effects Of Eating Habits In College Students

Eating The greatest evidence to the alterations in habits in college students is found in the most deceptively complex habit humans form. The act of eating, while simple on the surface, has many intricacies that allow for variation to form. These variations provide the sample data for observation of the types of changes college students experience with food consumption. College campuses around the United States are filled with rumors of the "freshmen 15" a myth predicting that college freshmen will gain fifteen pounds just by living on campus. Though not as strong a claim, a study conducted by researchers at the University at New Brunswick in New Jersey that surveyed weight gain and body fat gain of freshmen found something similar. Daniel Hoffman and his colleagues found that the average freshman student gained 2.86 pounds, and a change in body weight percentage of 0.7%. A separate …show more content…
However, the claims to this weight gain are not limited to food intake. These researchers found that the students were experiencing an average of 2-3% change in energy expenditure from before to during their freshman year. This imbalance, though small, is also thought to contribute to the weight gains experienced by these students (Hoffman, 42-44). Often, students will focus the blame of their eating habits on the conditions their university provides. These students will place responsibility on the options presented by the university cafeteria, on their limited budgets due to university expenses, or on stress related eating. The shifting in habits related to food and weight may not be entirely caused by the additions of stress and limited budgets, and may also be on the absence of cues these students once relied on. In fact, a study conducted on students attending the Agricultural