Assessing Overweight, Obesity, Diet, and Physical Activity in College Students

Abstract

The authors surveyed 738 college students aged 18 to 27 years to assess overweight, obesity, dietary habits, and physical activity. They used BMI (body mass index) > 25 kg/m² or BMI > 85th percentile and BMI > 30 kg/m¹ or BMI > 95th percentile to estimate overweight and obesity in those aged < 19 years. To define overweight and obesity in those > 20 years, they used BMI > 25 kg/m² and > 30 kg/m². They found overweight rates of 21.6% using BMI directly and 16.2% using BMI percentile and obesity rates of 4.9% using BMI directly and 4.2% using BMI percentile. More than 69% of the participants reported < 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day and more than 67% reported < 20 g of fiber per day; participants reported physical activity on fewer than 3 d/wk. Most college students are not meeting dietary and physical activity guidelines, suggesting the need for prevention interventions and increased understanding of overweight in college students.

Key Words:

• college student
• diet
• obesity
• overweight
• physical activity

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Harsohena Kaur

Terry T.-K. Huang is with the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts. Kari Jo Harris is with the Department of Psychology at the University of Montana in Missoula, Rebecca E. Lee, Niaman Nazir, Wendi Born, and Harsohena Kaur are all with the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City.