Abstract
Challenges inherent with the transition to college are often accompanied by weight gain among college freshmen. Weight gain and duration of obesity increase metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease risk in young adulthood, which supports the need for weight loss interventions tailored to college students. The purpose of this investigation was to conduct a mixed methods pilot trial to determine the efficacy and acceptability of a semester long Internet-and incentive-based weight loss intervention for overweight/obese college freshmen. Participants (n = 27, aged >18 yrs, BMI >25) were randomly assigned to a 12-week social cognitive theory (SCT)-based intervention (Fit Freshmen [FF]) or a health information control group. The FF intervention also included modest financial incentives for weight loss. Primary outcomes included body weight/composition, dietary and physical activity (PA) behaviors, and psychosocial measures (i.e. self-efficacy, self-regulation) associated with diet, PA, and weight loss. Students in the FF intervention participated in focus groups to provide qualitative feedback on program structure and design. FF participants demonstrated significant reductions (all group differences p
Highlights
Weight gain is common in young adulthood (18 to 29 years) [1], with young adults in the United States gaining an average of 0.8 kilograms per year [2]
Davy et al / Open Journal of Preventive Medicine 3 (2013) 429-440 has demonstrated that weight loss programs are effective in middle-aged adults [8], these programs may not translate to younger populations such as college students, who deal with typical barriers such as demands on time and financial issues, and have additional challenges such as peer and academic pressure [9,10,11]
Others saw the repetition in questions as a tool to track their weekly and monthly progress and to understand their barriers to maintaining a healthy weight. These findings indicate that the 12-week Internet- and incentive-based weight loss program was effective at promoting weight loss among overweight and obese college freshmen
Summary
Weight gain is common in young adulthood (18 to 29 years) [1], with young adults in the United States gaining an average of 0.8 kilograms per year [2]. The collegeaged population is susceptible to weight gain, experienceing a mean weight gain of 1.8 to 4 kilograms during their first year of college [2,3,4,5]. Women living on campus, such as in a dormitory, gain weight 36 times faster compared to women of the same age living off-campus [6]. Davy et al / Open Journal of Preventive Medicine 3 (2013) 429-440 has demonstrated that weight loss programs are effective in middle-aged adults [8], these programs may not translate to younger populations such as college students, who deal with typical barriers such as demands on time and financial issues, and have additional challenges such as peer and academic pressure [9,10,11]. Recent data from the CARDIA study [12] emphasize the need for interventions promoting the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors, including achievement and maintenance of healthy weight status through appropriate dietary intake and physical activity levels
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