Dietary Intake, Body Mass Index, Exercise, and Alcohol: Are College Women Following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans?

Abstract

Study findings suggest that college women practice diet and health behaviors that contradict the 1995 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To confirm this hypothesis, the authors surveyed the diet, exercise, and health habits of 60 female students enrolled in three university aerobics courses. They measured height and weight to calculate body mass index (BMI) and assessed physical activity, using the Self-Reported Physical Activity scale. To estimate food and nutrient intake, they used 3-day food records. Participants reported diets that were nutritionally adequate but exceeded national recommendations for fat, sugar, and sodium, and their reports of exercise habits suggested that the lifestyles of 66% of the respondents were sedentary. Although the students' mean BMIs suggested healthy weights, 25% of the women were classified as overweight. A majority of the participants were following at least 1 of the 7 dietary guidelines; however, no participant was adhering to all proposed behaviors.

A cross-sectional study on prevalence of obesity and its association with dietary habits among college students in Abha, Saudi Arabia

“…19 The prevalence rate of obesity in the current study is similar to the studies done by Majeed and Anding et al and it is slightly higher than the study done in Abha by Hakeem et al among the female college students. [26][27][28] Different studies across the globe reported various prevalence rate of overweight and obesity and that may be due to the differences in sample size and culture but still all the above described studies reveal that obesity and overweight are the major public health issue across the nation. Different studies across the globe reported various prevalence rate of overweight and obesity and that may be due to the differences in sample size and culture but still all the above described studies reveal that obesity and overweight are the major public health issue across the nation.…”

Nível de atividade física e hábitos alimentares de universitários do 3º ao 5º semestres da área da saúde

“…Algumas pesquisas avaliaram os hábitos alimentares de estudantes universitários [4][5][6][7][8] , sendo observada, em sua maioria, baixa prevalência de alimentação saudável, com elevada ingestão de alimentos doces e gordurosos e baixa ingestão de frutas e hortaliças. Segundo Vieira et al 8 , os maus hábitos alimentares desses universitários poderiam estar sendo influenciados pelos novos comportamentos e relações sociais, sugerindo indícios de compulsão alimentar em alguns alunos que, ansiosos, podem transformar a alimentação em "válvula de escape" para as situações de estresse físico e mental.…”

“…No entanto, estudos que relatam o comportamento alimentar e de atividade física de universitários são limitados 3,5,7 . Assim, não se tem estabelecido se as faculdades e universidades proporcionariam oportunidades para uma influên-cia positiva de comportamentos com relação à prática de atividade física, nutrição e manutenção de peso de adolescentes e de adultos jovens em um ambiente educacional 3 .…”

Translating a health behavior change intervention for delivery to 2-year college students: the importance of formative research

“…The CHOICES program Decreased physical activity and poor nutrition [15][16][17], as well as other factors such as inadequate sleep [18] and stress [19] are leading contributors to a variety of shortand long-term negative health consequences among young adults. The CHOICES (Choosing Healthy Options in College Environments) trial was designed to develop and test innovative strategies to prevent unhealthy weight gain in students attending 2-year colleges [20].…”