College Freshman Stress and Weight Change: Differences by Gender
Methods : Three hundred ninety-six freshmen completed a 40-item health behavior survey and height and weight were collected at baseline and follow-up.
Results: : Average weight change was 5.04 lbs for males, 5.49 lbs for females. Weight gain was related to increased alcohol consumption (P=0.014) in men and increased workload (P<0.001) in women. Weight loss was associated with lower academic confidence at baseline (P=0.009) and peer pressure modified by alcohol increase (P=0.025) in men, and fruit/vegetable consumption at baseline (P=0.015) in women.
Conclusions : Gender-specific approaches to weight management in this population are needed.
Keywords: college health; obesity; stress; weight gain
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1 Doctoral Student, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA.
Publication date: 01 January 2008
The American Journal of Health Behavior seeks to improve the quality of life through multidisciplinary health efforts in fostering a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of both individuals and social systems as they relate to health behaviors.
The Journal aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of personal attributes, personality characteristics, behavior patterns, social structure, and processes on health maintenance, health restoration, and health improvement; to disseminate knowledge of holistic, multidisciplinary approaches to designing and implementing effective health programs; and to showcase health behavior analysis skills that have been proven to affect health improvement and recovery.
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