Eating habits associated with body weight gain in female university students

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore factors associated with body weight gain among British university students who were members of a slimming club. Design/methodology/approach Student members of a national commercial slimming programme completed an online survey about cooking ability, weight gain, eating habits and physical activity levels. Non-parametric statistical tests and regression analysis were employed to examine factors associated with weight gain. Findings The data set comprised 272 current students. The majority of students (67 per cent) reported weight gain between 3.2 and 12.7 kg during studying in university: 20.4 per cent reported to have gained >12.7 kg. Students commonly attributed their weight gain to academic stress and nearly all identified with needing support to learn to cook on a budget. Students reporting greatest weight gain had most frequent consumption of ready meals & convenience foods, take-away & fast foods and least frequent consumption of fruits & vegetables. Weight-stable students reported lowest consumption of alcohol and were most able to cook complex meals. Students who reported greatest weight gain reported lower physical activity levels. There were inter-correlations between cooking ability and lifestyle factors. In a multivariate model, low physical activity and frequent consumption of ready meals and convenience food independently predicted weight gain. Weight gain was inversely associated with diet quality, cooking ability and physical activity with reliance on ready meals & convenience food and low physical activity particularly important. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these cross-sectional associations and to explore how the university setting may contribute to the effect. Originality/value The study adds additional perspective to understanding student weight gain at university in that it focuses on a body weight-conscious sub-group of the student population, as opposed to the general population of students.

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Social, Environmental and Psychological Factors Associated with Objective Physical Activity Levels in the Over 65s

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0031878 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. e31878 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Marion E. T. McMurdo ◽

Ishbel Argo ◽

Iain K. Crombie ◽

Zhiqiang Feng ◽

Falko F. Sniehotta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Psychological Factors ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Physical Activity Levels ◽

Social Environmental

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The prophylactic potential of Zingiber officinale flowers and leaves extract to mitigate hyperglycemia in Sprague Dawley rats

Nutrition & Food Science ◽

10.1108/nfs-02-2021-0069 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Saira Tanweer ◽

Tariq Mehmood ◽

Saadia Zainab ◽

Zulfiqar Ahmad ◽

Muhammad Ammar Khan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Insulin Resistance ◽

Body Weight ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Body Weight Gain ◽

Zingiber Officinale ◽

Sprague Dawley ◽

Content Type ◽

Sprague Dawley Rats ◽

Hematological Analysis ◽

Therapeutic Tools

Purpose Innovative health-promoting approaches of the era have verified phytoceutics as one of the prime therapeutic tools to alleviate numerous health-related ailments. The purpose of this paper is to probe the nutraceutic potential of ginger flowers and leaves against hyperglycemia. Design/methodology/approach The aqueous extracts of ginger flowers and leaves were observed on Sprague Dawley rats for 8 weeks. Two parallel studies were carried out based on dietary regimes: control and hyperglycemic diets. At the end of the experimental modus, the overnight fed rats were killed to determine the concentration of glucose and insulin in serum. The insulin resistance and insulin secretions were also calculated by formulae by considering fasting glucose and fasting insulin concentrations. Furthermore, the feed and drink intakes, body weight gain and hematological analysis were also carried out. Findings In streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats, the ginger flowers extract depicted 5.62% reduction; however, ginger leaves extract reduced the glucose concentration up to 7.11% (p = 0.001). Similarly, ginger flowers extract uplifted the insulin concentration up to 3.07%, while, by ginger leaves extract, the insulin value increased to 4.11% (p = 0.002). For the insulin resistance, the ginger flower showed 5.32% decrease; however, the insulin resistance was reduced to 6.48% by ginger leaves (p = 0.014). Moreover, the insulin secretion increased to 18.9% by flower extract and 21.8% by ginger leave extract (p = 0.001). The feed intake and body weight gain increased momentously by the addition of ginger flowers and leaves; however, the drink intake and hematological analysis remained non-significant by the addition of ginger parts. Originality/value Conclusively, it was revealed that leaves have more hypoglycemic potential as compared to flowers.

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Soft drink intake is associated with weight gain, regardless of physical activity levels: the health workers cohort study

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity ◽

10.1186/s12966-020-00963-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Romina González-Morales ◽

Francisco Canto-Osorio ◽

Dalia Stern ◽

Luz María Sánchez-Romero ◽

Leticia Torres-Ibarra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Health Workers ◽

Soft Drink ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Physical Activity Levels ◽

Health Workers Cohort Study

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Effectiveness of Physical Activity Interventions on Pregnancy-Related Outcomes among Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16101840 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (10) ◽

pp. 1840 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Carmen W. H. Chan ◽

Elce Au Yeung ◽

Bernard M. H. Law

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Gestational Weight Gain ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Gestational Weight ◽

Physical Activity Interventions ◽

Physical Activity Levels ◽

Physical And Psychological Health

Regular physical activity has been demonstrated to contribute to physical and psychological health. Nevertheless, pregnant women generally exhibit low levels of physical activity. Implementation of interventions that enhance the self-efficacy of pregnant women on increasing physical activity is required. This paper provides an in-depth review of studies reporting the effect of various physical activity interventions dedicated for pregnant women on pregnancy-related issues, including gestational weight gain, pain and depression, physical activity level, and quality of life among these individuals. Five databases were used in searching the literature. Findings of the included studies were presented narratively, and appraisal of their methodological quality was conducted using the quality assessment tool developed by Effective Public Health Practice Project. Review findings demonstrated that physical activity interventions are effective in enhancing physical activity levels of pregnant women. Further, they are potentially useful in alleviating pregnancy-related pain and psychological symptoms, reducing gestational weight gain, and increasing self-efficacy in enhancing physical activity levels among these individuals. Nevertheless, inconsistencies in findings between studies hamper the drawing of firm conclusions on these latter outcomes. Overall, studies demonstrated a positive effect of physical activity interventions on the well-being and physical and psychological health of pregnant women.

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Factors associated with physical activity levels in African-American women with type 2 diabetes

Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners ◽

10.1111/j.1745-7599.2011.00674.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 209-217 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Melanie Komar-Samardzija ◽

Lynne T. Braun ◽

Joyce K. Keithley ◽

Lauretta T. Quinn

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

African American ◽

African American Women ◽

Activity Levels ◽

American Women ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Physical Activity Levels

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The Role of Physical Activity in Prevention and Treatment of Body Weight Gain in Adults

Journal of Nutrition ◽

10.1093/jn/132.12.3826s ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 132 (12) ◽

pp. 3826S-3829S ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

John M. Jakicic

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Weight ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Body Weight Gain ◽

Prevention And Treatment

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Quantifying Physical Activity Levels of Survivors of Intensive Care: A Prospective Observational Study

Physical Therapy ◽

10.2522/ptj.20110411 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 92 (12) ◽

pp. 1507-1517 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Linda Denehy ◽

Sue Berney ◽

Laura Whitburn ◽

Lara Edbrooke

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Interquartile Range ◽

Apache Ii Score ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Free Living ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Icu Admission ◽

Icu Discharge ◽

Physical Activity Levels

Background Promotion of increased physical activity is advocated for survivors of an intensive care unit (ICU) admission to improve physical function and health-related quality of life. Objective The primary aims of this study were: (1) to measure free-living physical activity levels and (2) to correlate the measurements with scores on a self-reported activity questionnaire. A secondary aim was to explore factors associated with physical activity levels. Design This was a prospective cohort study. Methods Nested within a larger randomized controlled trial, participants were block randomized to measure free-living physical activity levels. Included participants wore an accelerometer for 7 days during waking hours at 2 months after ICU discharge. At completion of the 7 days of monitoring, participants were interviewed using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) questionnaire. Factors associated with physical activity were explored using regression analysis. Results The ICU survivors (median age=59 years, interquartile range=49–66; mean Acute Physiologic Chronic Health Evaluation [APACHE II] score=18, interquartile range=16–21) were inactive when quantitatively measured at 2 months after hospital discharge. Participants spent an average of 90% of the time inactive and only 3% of the time walking. Only 37% of the sample spent 30 minutes or more per day in the locomotion category (more than 20 steps in a row). Activity reported using the PASE questionnaire was lower than that reported in adults who were healthy. The PASE scores correlated only fairly with activity measured by steps per day. The presence of comorbidities explained one third of the variance in physical activity levels. Limitations Accelerometer overreading, patient heterogeneity, selection bias, and sample size not reached were limitations of the study. Conclusions Survivors of an ICU admission greater than 5 days demonstrated high levels of inactivity for prolonged periods at 2 months after ICU discharge, and the majority did not meet international recommendations regarding physical activity. Comorbidity appears to be a promising factor associated with activity levels.

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