Literature Review #2

Weight Changes, Exercise, and Dietary Patterns During Freshman and Sophomore Years of College -- Literature Review

Citation: 

  Racette, Susanne B, et al. “Weight Changes, Exercise, and Dietary Patterns During Freshman and Sophomore Years of College.” Taylor & Francis, Aug. 2010, www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/JACH.53.6.245-251#top-content-scroll.

Summary:

The article explores the idea that certain habits and behaviors in college can develop further into adulthood. As students transition into college life, the demands of college lead students to prioritize their needs. Unfortunately, the pressures of college force students to really focus on academics which puts diet and exercise lower on their priorities. The authors specifically research weight, exercise and dietary patterns for underclassmen students who have just entered college. Overall the study found a potentially significant weight gain (~9 lb) in 70% of the students during the first 2 years of college. Also the inactivity and unhealthy dietary behaviors that characterize many students during their early college years contribute to this. 

Authors:

The authors come from backgrounds of medical professions, such as PT's or Nursing or fields of higher education in Exercise Physiology. The health professions and sports medicine fields are important to my topic as they encompass the essentials for my research -- exercise, diet and physical activity.

Key terms:

• body mass index
• a weight-to-height ratio used as an indicator of obesity or being underweight
• diet
• food and drink regularly consumed
• obesity
• the condition of being excessively fat or overweight

Three quotes:

1. "The transition between adolescence and adulthood, a common age for college attendance, frequently is accompanied by dramatic and inappropriate weight gain"(245). 
2. "Because nearly two thirds of the adult population in America is classified as overweight, it is important to understand the role that the college environment may play in this epidemic, and to consider institutional strategies that might encourage college students to pursue healthy exercise and eating habits and maintain healthy body weight throughout college"(250).
3. "Promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors early in college may have long-term benefits through adulthood that would serve to reduce the rising incidence of physical inactivity, overweight, and obesity in our society"(250). 

This material is great for my research question since it addresses how promoting healthy behaviors in college can affect adulthood. The article goes to investigate the diet aspect of health and how not properly investing in diet can result to obesity or being overweight later in life. Along with exercise, diet is actually even more important to health and physique. Exercise is simply a supplement for diet, both should be combined with good habits to ensure healthy behaviors and routines.