A meta-analysis of weight gain in first year university students: is freshman 15 a myth?

Background The transition to university often involves a change in living arrangement for many first-year students. While weight gain during first year of university has been well documented, Canadian literature on the impact of living arrangement within this context is limited. The objective of this investigation was to explore the effect of living arrangement on anthropometric traits in first-year university students from Ontario, Canada. Methods 244 first-year undergraduate students were followed longitudinally with data collected early in the academic year and towards the end of the year. Anthropometric parameters including weight, waist and hip circumference, body mass index (BMI), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were examined. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for pairwise comparison of traits from the beginning to end the year in the absence of adjustments. Additionally, linear regression models with covariate adjustments were used to investigate effect of the type of living arrangement (i.e. on-campus, off-campus, or family home) on the aforementioned traits. Results In the overall sample, a significant weight increase of 1.55kg (95% CI: 1.24–1.86) was observed over the school year (p<0.001), which was also accompanied by significant gains in BMI, and waist and hip circumferences (p<0.001). At baseline, no significant differences were found between people living on-campus, off-campus, and at home with family. Stratified analysis of change by type of living arrangement indicated significant gains across all traits among students living on-campus (p<0.05), and significant gains in weight and BMI among students living at home with family. Additionally, a comparison between living arrangements revealed that students living on campus experienced significantly larger gains in weight and BMI compared to students living off-campus (p<0.05). Conclusion Our findings indicate that living arrangement is associated with different weight gain trajectories in first-year university students.

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Effect of sex/gender on obesity traits in Canadian first year university students: The GENEiUS study

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0247113 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. e0247113

Author(s):

Tanmay Sharma ◽

Rita E. Morassut ◽

Christine Langlois ◽

David Meyre

Keyword(s):

Weight Gain ◽

University Students ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Pairwise Comparison ◽

Rank Test ◽

First Year ◽

Sex And Gender ◽

First Year Students ◽

Significant Difference ◽

First Year University

Background While weight gain during first year of university has been well documented in North America, literature on sex-specific effects is scarce and inconsistent. The objective of this investigation was to explore sex-specific changes in obesity traits during first year of university at McMaster University (Ontario, Canada). Methods 245 first-year students (80.4% females) were followed longitudinally with data collected early in the academic year and towards the end of the year. Obesity parameters including weight, waist and hip circumferences, BMI, and waist to hip ratio were investigated. The Mann-Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for pairwise comparison of traits in the absence of adjustments. Additionally, the repeated-measures ANOVA test was used with covariate adjustments to investigate the interaction between sex and time. Results Overall sample trends indicated a significant increase in mean weight by 1.55 kg (95% CI: 1.24–1.86) over the school year (p<0.001). This was accompanied by significant gains in BMI, and waist and hip circumferences (p<0.001) in the overall sample. At baseline, males presented with higher body weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences, and WHR, as compared to their females counterparts (p<0.01). Additionally, sex-stratified analysis indicated significant gains in weight, BMI, and waist and hip circumferences in both males and females (p<0.01). However, a comparison of the magnitude of change over time between the two sex groups revealed no significant difference for any of the investigated traits (p>0.05). Conclusion While our study confirms significant weight gain in both male and female first year university students in Ontario, Canada, it does not show sex specific differences within this context. Our investigation highlights the importance of accounting for sex and gender in health research and supports the need of further studies in this area.

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SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, RELIGIOSITY, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, AND SUBSTANCE USE AMONG FIRST-YEAR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.91.5.105-113 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 91 (5) ◽

pp. 105 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

KARL PELTZER

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Substance Use ◽

Academic Performance ◽

University Students ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

First Year ◽

First Year University

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Health related physical activity behaviour of first year university students

International Sports Studies ◽

10.30819/iss.38-1.03 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 ◽

pp. 25-35

Author(s):

Peter Le Rossignol ◽

Myrna Boertien ◽

Eng Hoe Wee

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

University Students ◽

Physical Activity Behaviour ◽

First Year ◽

Health Related ◽

First Year University ◽

Activity Behaviour

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First year university students’ perception of autonomy: an individualistic approach

Journal of Further and Higher Education ◽

10.1080/0309877x.2021.1905154 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Feng Ding ◽

Baohua Yu

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

First Year ◽

First Year University

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Factors associated with depressive episode among first year University students in Serbia

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.1037 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

S Čanković ◽

D Čanković ◽

I Radić ◽

D Rakić ◽

S Ukropina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

University Students ◽

Depressive Episode ◽

Social Health ◽

Support Network ◽

First Year ◽

Behavioral Factors ◽

First Year University

Abstract Background Some findings indicate that university students are at higher risk of depression despite being a socially advantaged population, showing that 15 to 25% of them develop some type of mental disorder during graduation, and depression is one of the most prevalent. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its association with gender, material status, social health, and behavioral factors among university students. Methods The research represents a cross-sectional study conducted at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. The research involved 455 first-year students. The average age of participants was 19.3 years (72.1% girls and 27.9% boys). Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to measure depressive symptoms (cut point for depressive episode ≥10). Additional questions were focused on self-assessed material status, social health, and behavioral factors (smoking and alcohol use). The binary logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between depression and observed independent variables. Results The prevalence of moderate to severe depressive episode among students was 18.0%, with no gender differences. Out of the total, 11.0% of students had suicidal thoughts or thoughts of hurting themselves. Multivariable logistic regression showed that self-assessed poor material status (OR = 2.04; 95%CI: 1.06-3.89), self-assessed poor social health (OR = 8.9; 95%CI:4.87-16.42) and smoking (OR = 2.18; 95%CI: 1.09-4.39) were significant predictors of depression among first-year university students. Conclusions High prevalence of depressive episode among university students call for the action for the promotion of mental health, particularly among those of lower socioeconomic status, and points out the importance of social health and social network in the prevention of mental disorders. Key messages Students on the first year of University should be screened for depressive symptoms. It is important to educate students on how to create a strong support network and to implement intervention programs for improving mental health through fostering healthy lifestyles change.

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