Obesity on the Rise Among College Women

College can be a very stressful time for students.  The change in environment coupled with quest to achieve good grades can sometimes feel overwhelming.  Along with the common issues students contend with, chronic health problems such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes can also be added to the list. 

The nation’s battle of the bulge can be seen everywhere.  We have seen it on reality shows.  We see it on the news and in corporate offices.  We used to believe that obesity was a problem for the old and extremely inactive, but in today’s “super-sized” society it is fast becoming an issue with the youth. 

The last past two decades has seen a rise in the number of teenagers and young adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidema (a disorder of lipoprotein metabolism).  A survey conducted in 2005 showed that 3 out of 10 college students are either overweight with a body mass index, BMI, of 25.0 -29.9 kg/m2, or obese with a BMI of more than 30.0 kg/m2.  The problem is simple: a combination of the kind of food commonly being eaten by students and lack of a proper exercise regiment. 

Let’s face it, when trying to maintain an active social and academic schedule, an active eating schedule which includes eating four to five small meals a day may not rank high on the list of a student’s priorities.  Who has time to prepare a meal when the cafeteria, McDonalds, and the local pizzeria are much more convenient?  The 2005 study showed that 9 out of 10 students eat fewer than five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.  Lack of the proper amount of exercise is also a contributing factor.  Today teenagers and young adults are more prone to a sedentary lifestyle.  Six out of ten students engage in fewer than 3 days a week of physical activities that are high intensity (20 minutes or more) or moderate intensity (30 minutes or more). 

The problem indicating the cause of obesity and obesity related conditions is quite easy to identify, unfortunately the answer on how to solve the problem is not as simple.  Healthy eating and exercise is not something that can be forced, since the decision to change one’s diet and exercise routine is a personal.  On campuses nationwide, the more traditional issues of drugs, alcohol, and sexuality continue to be the main concerns of college administrators while the issues of overweight and obese students take the back seat. 

In some high schools, vendors are being forced to change the snacks provided in the vending machines, and soda machines are no longer an option as administrators try to influence teenagers into eating healthy.  Surely campuses nationwide can follow this trend and do the same.  Fast food chains such as McDonalds and KFC corporations are making strides in trying to help combat the growing problems stemming from obesity by eliminating trans fat and coming up with alternatives ways to still maintain the menus they are famous for without losing the taste.  Hopefully college administrators will recognize the trend and incorporate more programs geared to healthy eating and living, instead of just combating the issues associated with obesity on a case-by-case basis. 

The issue of obesity and the consequent health problems that are associated with it will not be as easy to solve on a college campus versus a high school campus.  High school administrators maintain more control over the diet of their teenage students.  The college experience is about allowing a young adult to have free will to make decisions that are best for them as they transition into adulthood and accept more responsibility. 

In the end it is up to the individual if they want to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regiment.  Since students are attending these intuitions of higher learning to become more educated, maybe it is time that colleges and universities become more proactive in teaching students how to eat and live healthier so students can make better decisions about what they eat.

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