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Identifying Changes in Body Weight, Composition and Dietary Intake During First‐year University
Author(s) -
Beaudry Kayleigh M,
Thomas Aysha M,
Falk Bareket,
Ward Wendy E,
Josse Andrea R
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.957.27
Subject(s) - anthropometry , medicine , weight gain , composition (language) , body weight , zoology , alcohol intake , obesity , lean body mass , food intake , physiology , demography , biology , alcohol , philosophy , linguistics , biochemistry , sociology
A critical time period for weight gain appears to be in young adulthood, especially during the transition from high school to university. This weight gain is popularly referred to as the “Freshman Fifteen”. Despite this being an accepted phenomenon on university campuses and in the literature, discrepancies exist around the actual amount of weight gained during this time. In addition, dietary intake changes are scarcely documented. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the transition from high school to university on anthropometrics, body composition and both dietary intake and quality in first‐year students attending university. Students aged 17–20 years entering university came for 2 testing sessions: September and March of their first year. Body composition was assessed using ultrasound (BodyMetrix) and dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. A total of 301 students ( n =71 males, n =230 females) completed the study. Between the beginning and end of their first‐year at university, both males and females gained weight: 3.2 and 1.7 kg, respectively. However, this weight gain reflected different tissues sources. Males weight gain reflected mainly increased lean mass, while females weight gain reflected mainly increased fat mass. Daily energy intake significantly decreased in both sexes by ~400 kcals along with a lower diet quality: decrease in fruit, vegetables, milk and cheese intake (p<0.05). Despite a significant decrease in total energy intake, alcohol intake significantly increased (p<0.05) and caffeine intake remained the same in both sexes. Therefore, modest weight gain does occur during first‐year of university, but the composition of the weight gained is different between the sexes. In addition, energy intake decreased in both sexes. Support or Funding Information CIHR‐ Personal MSc Fellowship (Kayleigh M. Beaudry)