RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—College weight gain is hard enough to combat, and a new study finds that young women may have a harder time warding off the notorious "freshman fifteen" than their male classmates. Women in that age group don't seem to get as much exercise as they used to. The study, which will be published in the October issue of the American Journal of Public Health, finds that over the past 23 years, young women have cut down on exercise and healthy eating, allowing adolescent obesity to linger long into young adulthood.
THE DETAILS: The researchers collected data from young adults, ages 19 to 26, who had participated in a long-running survey of health behaviors. Using surveys administered to a total of 17,314 young adults over 23 years, they looked at trends related to exercise, eating behaviors, sleep (getting at least seven hours), and time spent watching television. Data showed that exercise rates among young women have declined more rapidly than those among young men, leading the researchers to believe that the trend may be a good explanation for gender disparities in obesity.
WHAT IT MEANS: When it comes to fighting college weight gain—or any weight gain for anyone of college age—coasting doesn't help. It takes deliberate effort to develop healthy habits that will last. "At this point in their lives, young adults are on their own, typically for the first time," says lead author Philippa Clarke, PhD, research assistant professor in the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. "During these formative years, they're undertaking their own healthy behaviors outside the parents' home," she adds, "and the behaviors they develop are indicative of what they maintain over time."
Warding off the freshman (or sophomore or junior or senior) fifteen can be difficult, and losing it once you've graduated can be even harder. But gaining weight during young adulthood isn't just a problem for the college-bound, says Clarke. In her study, women with the lowest socioeconomic statuses were the least likely to exercise or eat healthy. Similar challenges may affect young people without hefty salaries that afford gym memberships and other healthy lifestyle options.
Whether you're heading to college or not, here are four ways to avoid weight gain in your young adult years:
• Find a free gym. First and foremost, don't cut down on exercise. Fight the freshman fifteen in the free school gym to burn off the junky food they serve in the cafeteria and to de-stress during finals week. After all, stress, along with bad cafeteria food, can cause weight gain. People who've opted to go the noncollege route, or who attend small schools without athletic centers, can try to find a local community center. Or find running or walking groups on Craigslist or other local social media websites so you can exercise on streets where you'd feel unsafe going it alone.
• Get some sleep. College students and stress often go hand-in-hand, and trying to make ends meet can lead to sleepless nights, too. A study in a recent issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health found that only 30 percent of college-age adults get eight hours of sleep every night, and Clarke says that more and more research is linking inadequate sleep with obesity.
• Eat your dairy. A few recent studies have found that people who eat low-fat dairy, especially for breakfast, feel more satisfied and are less likely to overeat later in the day—which might fight college weight gain. Most recently, a study of 76 college students found that those with a higher intake of low-fat dairy products gained less weight and, throughout the year, had greater reductions in total body fat, fat on the trunk, and waist circumference than people who had less than one serving per day.
• Go trayless. More and more college cafeterias are eliminating trays in an effort to go green; getting rid of them cuts down on water use and food waste—and on overeating. At the University of Chicago, where trays were discarded in 2008, dining officials noted that people started eating less after the shift. If your university still uses trays, or if you're a singleton with a penchant for eating at buffets, go without a tray and fill only one plate of food at a time. Having to get up for seconds might induce you to cut back on your calorie intake.