University students are substantially less obese on average than the general population of the United States, the University Health Center reports.
About 1,100 students here — or 5.9 percent of the 19,091 registered for fall term — are obese, according to Dr. Gerald Fleischli, director for the health center.
“It doesn’t look like students are getting more obese,” Fleischli said. “We’ve not seen that change at the average or the extremes.”
The health center has tracked obesity-related statistics on
campus for the last nine years. Fleischli said perhaps the limited duration of the annual study should serve as a caveat when determining a comprehensive trend among students. Nonetheless, the data points to a student population trimmer than average Americans.
“Maybe college students are not seeing the increase in obesity of the general population,” Fleischli said.
Obesity is 50 percent more common among Americans today than it was in 1960, the National Institutes of Health report. One-quarter of U.S. adults are obese and less than half register a healthy weight.
Obesity, different from being overweight, refers to an individual with an abnormally high percentage of body fat, Fleischli said. A ripped body builder could be overweight and not obese, for example, because he or she has a high concentration of muscle.
Health organizations determine obesity differently using an array of measurements. The standard is the Body Mass Index, the formula used by the health center, which calculates obesity by an individual’s height and weight.
Fleischli said an individual with a BMI of 30 or greater is obese and that medical treatment isn’t considered until a student reaches that point. He said the 5.9 percent of University students that are obese are 30 BMI or greater — a threshold students can reach or exceed because of a number of factors.
“Some students are clueless about proper diet,” he said. “One student told me she had a Twinkie for breakfast, herbal tea for lunch and ice cream for dinner. She was asking me, ‘Do you think that’s adequate?’”
There are many healthy meal choices for students as long as a balance, variety and moderation of different foods are included, said Kristen Olmos, a University health education instructor. But she said almost as important is the emotional relationship a person has with the food they eat.
“There are many people out there eating what you and I would say is a really healthy diet — grains, chicken, fruits and vegetables,” she said. “But they do so at the expense of labeling the food they put in their mouths as good and bad.”
Olmos said if a person knows the benefits or shortcomings of the foods they eat, a little slice of chocolate cake or a flame-broiled cheeseburger can fit into their diet without adverse effects.
“That, as opposed to giving emotions to a food,” Olmos said. “‘If I dip my fries in ranch, I’m bad.’ That kind of thing.”
But for some, putting on excess pounds is unavoidable even with a nutritious diet because of the genes passed on by their parents.
“Students should look at their family history and get a sense for their genetics and factor that into their food choices,” health education director Paula Staight said.
Psychological factors also can contribute to obesity. Stress, trauma and low self-esteem can affect a student’s eating habits, but “it has not been established that (obesity) is consistently associated with a psychological or behavioral syndrome,” said Vivian Barnette, senior staff therapist for the Counseling and Testing Center.
Barnette said students wishing to lose weight can try one of several strategies, including working with an individual, group or team.
“The team approach might
include psychologists, medical doctors, nutritionists, exercise specialists and physical therapists,” Barnette said.
“Additionally, one should be knowledgeable about some of the myths, like being obese means no willpower.”