Predicting 1-year change in body mass index among college students

Despite beliefs about weight gain in college, few researchers have evaluated this phenomenon.

Participants were 18- to 31-year-old students at a midwestern university. The dependent variable was body mass index (BMI) change.

The authors extracted predictor variables from a Health Risk Appraisal. These included clinical, medical history, medical usage, medications, pain or chronic conditions, perceptual measures, and behavioral factors. The authors performed an ordinal regression technique separately by gender.

No predictors were significant for men. Women in the BMI gain group were (1) more likely to consume alcohol, use maladaptive coping behaviors, eat foods low in fiber, and consume caffeine; and (2) less likely to be stress-free, to eat cruciferous vegetables, and to refrain from eating high-cholesterol foods.

The lack of research on predictors of and interventions for reducing BMI gain among college students warrants more research.