Freshman 15: Fact or Fiction?
Open accessAbstract
Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate changes in body weight, BMI, body composition, and fat distribution among freshman women during their 1st year of college. Research Methods and Procedures: Freshman women during the 2004 to 2005 academic year were recruited to participate. The initial baseline visit occurred within the first 6 weeks of the fall 2004 semester, with the follow‐up visit occurring during the last 6 weeks of the spring 2005 semester. At each visit, height, weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences, and body composition (by DXA) were obtained. Results: One hundred thirty‐seven participants completed both the fall and spring visits. Significant (p < 0.0001) increases between the fall and spring visits were observed for body weight (58.6 vs. 59.6 kg), BMI (21.9 vs. 22.3), percentage body fat (28.9 vs. 29.7), total fat mass (16.9 vs. 17.7 kg), fat‐free mass (38.1 vs. 38.4 kg), waist circumference (69.4 vs. 70.3 cm), and hip circumference (97.4 vs. 98.6 cm), with no significant difference observed in the waist‐to‐hip ratio (0.71 vs. 0.71; p = 0.78). Discussion: Although statistically significant, changes in body weight, body composition, and fat mass were modest for women during their freshman year of college. These results do not support the purported “freshman 15” weight gain publicized in the popular media.
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Recent studies have reported weight gains during the freshman year of college of 1.3 kg (Hoffman et al. 2006), 2.5 kg (Racette et al. 2005) and 1.1 kg (Morrow et al. 2006).
“recent studies have still reported weight gains of 1.3 kg (Hoffman et al. 2006), 2.5 kg (Racette et al. 2005) and 1.1 kg (Morrow et al. 2006) [7-9].”
From The effect of the Thanksgiving Holiday on weight gain (2006) · cites this paper as [9]
The widespread campus perception that freshman students gain an average of 15 pounds (6.8 kg) during their first year of study appears little more than a myth.
“While the widespread campus perception that freshman students gain an average of 15 pounds (6.8 kg) during their first year of study appears little more than a myth”
From The effect of the Thanksgiving Holiday on weight gain (2006) · cites this paper as [9]
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- Freshman 15, Morrow et al. OBESITY Vol. 14 No. 8 August 2006 1443 1930739x, 2006, 8, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1038/oby.2006.163 by Readcube (Labtiva Inc.), Wiley Online Library on [02/12/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License · DOI
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Self-citationThe effect of the Thanksgiving Holiday on weight gain
Hull, H. R., Radley, D., Dinger, M. K., & Fields, D. A. (2006) · Nutrition Journal · doi:10.1186/1475-2891-5-29 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Morrow, M. L., Heesch, K. C., Dinger, M. K., Hull, H. R., Kneehans, A. W., & Fields, D. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Oklahoma (US)
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Fields, David A.
- Venue
- Obesity
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2006-08
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1438-1443
- ISSN
- 1930-7381 (ISSN-L)
- 1930-739X
- OpenAlex
- W2017807827
- Cited by
- 84
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2022: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 5.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Obesity (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Oklahoma (M01-RR14467)
- National Institutes of Health
- University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (M01-RR14467)
- National Center for Research Resources (M01 RR-14467, M01RR014467)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health and Lifestyle Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Body Composition Measurement Techniques
- Keywords
- Freshman 15, university students, weight gain, body composition, body mass index, body fat distribution, waist circumference, hip circumference, fat mass, fat-free mass, women
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Body Composition, Body Height, Body Weight, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Oklahoma, Students, Universities, Weight Gain, Body Mass Index, Waist-Hip Ratio, Overweight, Body Fat Distribution
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