Science Explains Why It’s So Typical for First-Year Students to Pack on Pounds

As the daughter of immigrants, I had no idea what the Freshman 15 was. That ignorance disappeared quickly when I went home for Thanksgiving freshman year and stepped on the scale for the first time since starting college. Why is weight gain at university so anecdotally common?

Researchers decided to investigate the matter. By tracking the food intake and factors such as eating behaviors and environment of dozens of American college students, the team found that the college environment facilitates tendencies that lead to eating more and thus gaining more weight.

“Social and environmental factors are key determinants of eating behavior. College students are affected by the eating environment, especially where they eat and whom they eat with,” Y. Alicia Hong, a professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy at George Mason University, said in a university statement.

Food tracking

Hong and her colleagues analyzed data provided by 41 racially and ethnically diverse 18- to 25-year-old American college students. Over four weeks, these participants recorded their dietary intake through a dietary tracking app and filled out daily surveys on their eating behaviors, environment, and mood and stress levels. In total, the students logged 3,168 eating occasions.

“Our research found that they consume more calories when eating in groups or formal dining settings,” added Hong, lead author of the study published last month in the journal mHealth. Specifically, the results suggest that the participating students eat less when they are alone or at home and more in groups of two or above and in locations such as dining halls or restaurants.

Interestingly, they seemed to be oblivious to these behaviors. In the surveys, the students reported eating less in groups and formal settings, revealing a disconnect between their perception of food consumption and the amount of calories they were actually eating.

Other differences

What’s more, “significant gender differences were observed with males consuming more calories in social settings and females underreporting intake in formal dining environments,” the researchers wrote in the study. “Other factors affecting eating behaviors included body mass index (BMI), mood, and stress levels.”

Bottom line—the eating behaviors of college students are complicated, Hong explained. Individual, interpersonal, and environmental factors all play a role in the amount of food they eat. Ultimately, the study highlights the significance of using digital tools in dietary assessment and how important it is to consider the broader context when conducting dietary interventions.

I, for one, am still wondering how we managed to eat so much abysmal dining hall food—though someone should probably also take a look at the extra calories college students consume via alcohol.