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Many college students unhealthy and overweight
Filed under: Health & Safety: Babies, Day Care & Education
An ongoing survey has surprised scientist by revealing that American university students are increasingly unhealthy due to bad diets and lack of physical activity.
As part of the University of New Hampshire's Young Adult Health Risk Screening Initiative, scientists surveyed nearly 800 college students about their diets and daily activities. They also looked at weight, blood pressure and indicators for heart disease and diabetes. They found that about one-third of students were overweight and 10 percent were obese.
It's not just how many calories these young adults are eating that is making them unhealthy, it is what they are eating. The survey found that 80% of students don't get enough potassium in their diets and that they aren't consuming the recommended levels of calcium and vitamin D. Also, most students consume too much sodium, which is being blamed for the fact that more than half the men and 20 percent of the women surveyed had high blood pressure readings.
Physical inactivity was also identified as a problem among college students.One third of the students surveyed reported getting less than 30 minutes of exercise each day.
None of this surprises me. I live in a college town and have a college daughter. Christy really wants to be physically healthy. But all those hours in the library or sitting in class leave little time for exercise. Her diet is based on what she can afford and how much time she has to eat it. Her school does offer a gym for students, but that doesn't fit into her schedule. She has found one way to get exercise; she has stopped driving her car as often and walks to campus whenever possible. What else can she do?
As part of the University of New Hampshire's Young Adult Health Risk Screening Initiative, scientists surveyed nearly 800 college students about their diets and daily activities. They also looked at weight, blood pressure and indicators for heart disease and diabetes. They found that about one-third of students were overweight and 10 percent were obese.
It's not just how many calories these young adults are eating that is making them unhealthy, it is what they are eating. The survey found that 80% of students don't get enough potassium in their diets and that they aren't consuming the recommended levels of calcium and vitamin D. Also, most students consume too much sodium, which is being blamed for the fact that more than half the men and 20 percent of the women surveyed had high blood pressure readings.
Physical inactivity was also identified as a problem among college students.One third of the students surveyed reported getting less than 30 minutes of exercise each day.
None of this surprises me. I live in a college town and have a college daughter. Christy really wants to be physically healthy. But all those hours in the library or sitting in class leave little time for exercise. Her diet is based on what she can afford and how much time she has to eat it. Her school does offer a gym for students, but that doesn't fit into her schedule. She has found one way to get exercise; she has stopped driving her car as often and walks to campus whenever possible. What else can she do?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
5-17-2007 @ 9:46PM
SKL said...When I was in college & grad school I couldn't afford a car, so I walked everywhere all the time. I really enjoyed walking, especially when it included exploring the surrounding neighborhood. In addition, I cut out most junk food when I was in my early 20's, and lost almost 20 pounds within a very short period of time. (I wasn't 20 lbs overweight to begin with.)
There's nothing complicated about taking care of oneself. People just need to adopt better habits to take the place of the bad ones they pick up, perhaps out of stress or boredom, when they first move onto campus or start hanging around with new friends.
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