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College Students Face Obesity, High Blood Pressure, Metabolic Syndrome
By April Durrett
New data from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) finds that college students are in trouble. This widely unstudied demographic of college students indicates that this group of 18- to 24-year-olds is on the path toward chronic health diseases.
The UNH data, collected from more than 800 undergraduates enrolled in a general-education nutrition course, find that at least one-third of UNH students are overweight or obese, 8 percent of men had metabolic syndrome, 60 percent of men had high blood pressure, and more than two-thirds of women are not meeting their nutritional needs for iron, calcium or folate.
“They’re not as healthy as they think they are,” says UNH lecturer Ingrid Lofgren, who is collecting and analyzing the data with her Nutrition in Health & Well Being co-teachers Joanne Burke and Ruth Reilly, both clinical assistant professors, and lecturer Jesse Morrell.
The researchers, who presented their findings at the recent Experimental Biology Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, realized, however, that the size of the class (525 students per semester enroll in the course) gave them a gold mine of health information on a group about which little is known.
Students completed questionnaires on their lifestyle behaviors and dietary habits, chronicling their smoking, exercise, alcohol consumption, and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Their body mass index (BMI) was calculated from their height and weight; their waist circumference was measured; and they were screened for blood pressure as well as glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol and high-density cholesterol. The students also completed a 3-day food diary and analyzed their calories, carbohydrates and nutrient intakes with nutrition software.
Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of five risk factors (high blood pressure, excess abdominal fat, high blood glucose, high triglycerides, and low HDL or “good” cholesterol) that are predictive of future development of heart disease and diabetes, is particularly prevalent in males. Sixty-six percent of males (compared to 50% of females) had at least one risk for metabolic syndrome, and 8% of males had metabolic syndrome. “These individuals, if they continue on this trajectory, are going to be much more of a health burden at age 50 than their parents are,” says Burke.
The good news is that these nutritional benchmarks hit students at a time—and in an environment—when they’re susceptible to change. “Late adolescence is a great time to impart good health behaviors,” says Reilly, noting that most college students are making independent choices about food and activity for the first time in their lives.
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