Freshman 15
The term "Freshman 15" refers to the popular belief that first-year college students gain about 15 pounds during their initial year of study. This notion stems from significant lifestyle changes, including increased freedom, living in dormitories, and access to buffet-style dining, which often features high-calorie foods. However, research suggests that this stereotype may be exaggerated. Studies indicate that only about 10 percent of freshmen gain 15 pounds or more, while some actually lose weight during their first year. On average, male students gain around 3.5 pounds, and female students gain about 2.4 pounds. Factors such as heavy alcohol consumption can contribute to weight gain, yet many students do not experience significant increases in weight. Long-term trends show a gradual weight gain throughout college, raising health concerns about established dietary habits leading to obesity in later life. To manage weight effectively, maintaining portion control and engaging in regular physical activity are recommended strategies for students navigating these lifestyle adjustments.
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Freshman 15
Freshman 15 refers to a common belief that freshman students gain approximately 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) during their first year of college or university study, due to the dramatic change in lifestyle they experience, such living in a dorm with little to no adult supervision, a much greater degree of personal freedom than they have likely previously experienced, unlimited access to food at buffet-style campus cafeterias, and late nights of socializing with friends over high-calorie junk foods such as pizza, wings, ice cream, and breadsticks.
Overview
Despite its status as one of the most ubiquitous stereotypes of the college experience, particularly in the United States, empirical research indicates that the freshman 15 is actually more of a myth than a reality. For example, a 2011 study conducted by Jay L. Zagorsky and Patricia K. Smith of Ohio State University’s Center for Human Resource Research (based on data collected from 7,418 American adolescents) found that only 10 percent of the American college students surveyed gained 15 pounds or more during their freshman year, while approximately 25 percent of freshman students lost weight. The same study found that freshman college students gained an average of 0.5 pounds (0.22 kilograms) more than their peers of the same age who did not attend college. The Ohio State study discovered that, on average, college students do gain some weight during their freshman year—an average of 2.4 pounds (1.1 kilograms) for women and to 3.5 pounds (1.5 kilograms) for men, well below the highly touted freshman 15. The study found that heavy alcohol consumption was one of the major factors in freshman students’ weight gain.
However, despite the low numbers of students who gain 15 pounds or more during their freshman year, the Ohio State study did show a gradual trend of continued weight gain throughout college, with women gaining 7 to 9 pounds (3.2 to 4 kilograms) over four years of college and men gaining 12 to 13 pounds (5.5 to 6 kilograms). Health-care practitioners have raised concerns that individuals who gradually but steadily gain weight throughout early adulthood have established dietary habits that could put them on track for obesity and obesity-related health problems later in life.
Other scientific studies on this topic have corroborated the findings of the Ohio State study. A 2014 study published in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners revealed that 22.4 percent of students surveyed were overweight and 3.2 percent were obese based on their body mass index (BMI) during their freshman year, whereas 25.6 percent were overweight and 6.4 percent were obese by their senior year; therefore, the study measured a 25 percent increase in the rate of overweight and obesity between college admission and graduation. A 2008 study published in the Journal of American College Health found an average weight gain of 2.7 pounds during freshman year, which was 5.5 times greater than that experienced by the general population. About half of the students surveyed for the study had gained weight during their freshman year, while 15 percent had lost weight.
While the reality of weight gain during freshman year of college is not as dramatic as the myth of the freshman 15, consuming even a small amount of extra calories over a period of time can amount to substantial weight gain. For example, eating just one hundred calories more than one’s total daily energy expenditure—a measure of calories burned throughout a day—will amount to weight gain of more than 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) over one year. A number of lifestyle changes can lead to weight gain in college; in particular, homesickness, anxiety, stress, and depression can prompt individuals to overeat. Practicing portion control and staying physically active have been shown to help with long-term weight management.
Bibliography
Bourassa, Sarah. "The Myth of the ‘Freshman 15’: How to Survive the College Diet." Today. Today, 12 Aug. 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.
DiLuna, Amy. "College Students: That Dreaded Freshman 15 Is Avoidable." NBC News. NBC, 8 Sept. 2015. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.
Hirsch, Larissa. "Beating the Freshman 15." Teens Health. Nemours Foundation, Jan. 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.
Khazan, Olga. "The Origin of the ‘Freshman 15’ Myth." Atlantic. Atlantic Monthly Group, 5 Sept. 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.
Mihalopoulos, Nicole L., Peggy Auinger, and Jonathan D. Klein. "The Freshman 15: Is It Real?" Journal of American College Health 56.5 (2008): 531–33. Print.
Nicoteri, Jo Ann and Mary Miskovsky. "Revisiting the ‘Freshman 15’: Assessing Body Mass Index in the First College Year and Beyond." Journal of American Association of Nurse Practitioners 26.4 (2014): 220–24. Print.
Zagorsky, Jay L., Patricia K. Smith. "The Freshman 15: A Critical Time for Obesity Intervention or Media Myth?" Social Science Quarterly 92.5 (2011): 1389–1407. Print.