Health behavior changes associated with weight gain among first-year international students studying at an American university

Du, Chen; Luo, Nachuan; Wu, Linmeng; Gadd, Suzannah; Zhang, Xinyi; Tucker, Robin M.

doi:10.1080/07448481.2021.1891082

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…This regain in body weight may have been attributed to an increase in sitting time at the 12-month study time-point and the associated decrease in BMR observed amongst males. Significant increases in sedentary behaviours have only been observed in two previous studies, and these increases occurred in males also [47,48]. Greater sitting time in males in the present study may be due to the general university lifestyle, as participants became more accustomed to spending time sitting in lectures, tutorials, and studying, but why this increase was shown in males only is unknown.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 53%

“…The time in which body weight normalised in females was around the time of university breaks in the Summer; this may indicate that females have more time during breaks to maintain a healthy lifestyle, which is in contrast to previous literature that suggests that females gain weight over university holiday-break periods [43]. Additionally, stress during semester and exam times may have resulted in weight gain amongst females [44][45][46][47].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

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UniStArt: A 12-Month Prospective Observational Study of Body Weight, Dietary Intake, and Physical Activity Levels in Australian First-Year University Students

Wilson¹,

Villani²,

Tan³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Students in the United States gain weight significantly during their first year of university, but limited data is available for Australian students. Methods: This 12-month observational study was conducA 12-Month Prospective Observational Study of Body Weight, Dietary Intake, and Physical Activity Levels in Australian First-Year University Studentsted to monitor monthly body weight and body composition, as well as quarterly eating behaviours, dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and basal metabolic rate changes amongst first-year Australian university students. Participants were first-year university students over 18 years. Results: Twenty-two first-year university students (5 males, 17 females) completed the study. Female students gained weight significantly at two, three and four-months (+0.9 kg; +1.5kg; +1.1 kg, p <0.05). Female waist circumference (2.5cm increase at two-months, p=0.012) and body fat also increased (+0.7%, p=0.04 at two-months; +0.9%, p=0.026 at three-months). Intake of sugar, saturated fat (both >10% of total energy) and sodium exceeded recommended levels (>2300 mg) at 12-months. Greater sedentary behaviours were observed amongst male students throughout the study (p <0.05). Conclusions: Female students are at risk of unfavourable changes in body composition during the first year of university, while males are at risk of increased sedentary behaviours. High intakes of saturated fat, sugars and sodium warrant future interventions in such a vulnerable group.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 53%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

UniStArt: A 12-Month Prospective Observational Study of Body Weight, Dietary Intake, and Physical Activity Levels in Australian First-Year University Students

Wilson¹,

Villani²,

Tan³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…International status was determined when students were attending universities outside of their home country. International status was collected as a covariate because it has been associated with the exposure (stress) and outcome variables (dietary risk and BMI) examined [ 58 ]. Self-reported weight and height were used to calculate body mass index (BMI).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Differences in the Relationships between Perceived Stress, Eating Behaviors, Sleep, Dietary Risk, and Body Mass Index

Adjepong

Zan

et al. 2022

Nutrients

Self Cite

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Background: Obesity is a growing epidemic among university students, and the high levels of stress reported by this population could contribute to this issue. Singular relationships between perceived stress; engagement in restrained, uncontrolled, and emotional eating; sleep; dietary risk; and body mass index (BMI) have been reported in the current body of literature; however, these constructs interact with each other, and the complex relationships among them are infrequently examined. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the complex relationships between these constructs using mediation and moderation analyses stratified by gender. Methods: A cross-sectional study, enrolling university students from the United States (U.S.), the Netherlands, South Korea, Malaysia, Ireland, Ghana, and China, was conducted between October 2020 and January 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perceived stress; maladaptive eating behaviors including restrained, uncontrolled, and emotional eating; sleep duration and quality; dietary risk; and BMI were assessed using validated questionnaires, which were distributed through an online platform. Results: A total of 1392 students completed the online survey (379 male, 973 female, and 40 who self-identified as “other”). Uncontrolled and emotional eating mediated the relationship between perceived stress and dietary risk for both males and females; higher sleep quality weakened this relationship among female students but not males. Emotional eating mediated the relationship between perceived stress and BMI for both males and females, but higher sleep quality weakened this relationship only among females. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that students in higher education are likely to benefit from interventions to reduce uncontrolled and emotional eating. Programs that improve sleep quality, especially during highly stressful periods, may be helpful.

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“…This regain in body weight may have been attributed to an increase in sitting time at the 12-month study time-point and the associated decrease in BMR observed amongst males. Significant increases in sedentary behaviours have only been observed in two previous studies, and these increases occurred in males also [ 47 , 48 ]. Greater sitting time in males in the present study may be due to the general university lifestyle, as participants became more accustomed to spending time sitting in lectures, tutorials, and studying; however, why this increase was shown in males only is unknown.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may indicate that females have more time during breaks to maintain a healthy lifestyle—this is in contrast to previous literature, which suggested that females gain weight over university holiday break periods [ 43 ]. Additionally, stress during semester and exam times may have resulted in weight gain amongst females [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

UniStArt: A 12-Month Prospective Observational Study of Body Weight, Dietary Intake, and Physical Activity Levels in Australian First-Year University Students

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Students in the United States gain weight significantly during their first year of university, however limited data are available for Australian students. Methods: This 12-month observational study was conducted to monitor monthly body weight and composition, as well as quarterly eating behaviours, dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and basal metabolic rate changes amongst first-year Australian university students. Participants were first-year university students over 18 years. Results: Twenty-two first-year university students (5 males and 17 females) completed the study. Female students gained weight significantly at two, three, and four-months (+0.9 kg; +1.5 kg; +1.1 kg, p < 0.05). Female waist circumference (2.5 cm increase at three-months, p = 0.012), and body fat also increased (+0.9%, p = 0.026 at three-months). Intakes of sugar, saturated fat (both >10% of total energy), and sodium exceeded recommended levels (>2000 mg) at 12-months. Greater sedentary behaviours were observed amongst male students throughout the study (p <0.05). Conclusions: Female students are at risk of unfavourable changes in body composition during the first year of university, while males are at risk of increased sedentary behaviours. High intakes of saturated fat, sugars, and sodium warrant future interventions in such a vulnerable group.

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Health behavior changes associated with weight gain among first-year international students studying at an American university

Cited by 8 publications

References 63 publications

UniStArt: A 12-Month Prospective Observational Study of Body Weight, Dietary Intake, and Physical Activity Levels in Australian First-Year University Students

UniStArt: A 12-Month Prospective Observational Study of Body Weight, Dietary Intake, and Physical Activity Levels in Australian First-Year University Students

Gender Differences in the Relationships between Perceived Stress, Eating Behaviors, Sleep, Dietary Risk, and Body Mass Index

UniStArt: A 12-Month Prospective Observational Study of Body Weight, Dietary Intake, and Physical Activity Levels in Australian First-Year University Students

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