American college students aren't the only ones who need to worry about the "Freshman 15" – international students gain weight and body fat after arriving on campus as well, according to a study presented today at the American Dietetic Association annual meeting.
In a small study of 22 international students who recently had enrolled at a rural American university, Ohio University researchers found that after 20 weeks, the subjects gained about 3 pounds on average and their percentage of body fat rose by about 5 percent. Food diaries showed that the students had incorporated American food high in fat, salt and sugar into their diets since their arrival in the United States.
American food – particularly fast food – is often the cheapest and most convenient meal for new international students, said study authors David Holben, an assistant professor of human and consumer sciences in the College of Health and Human Services, and graduate student Hsin-Fen Chen. They presented their findings Oct. 18 at the ADA meeting in Denver, Colo., where the paper placed third in a student competition.
"In some countries, eating fast food is a luxury," Holben said. "So for some students, going to Burger King every day is kind of like living the American Dream."
Participants, who were male and female undergraduate and graduate students, had moved to the United States within 14 days of the start of the study. About half of the subjects were Asian, while the other half hailed from nations in Europe and the Middle East. Almost half of the participants ate at campus dining halls and the other half prepared their own meals at off-campus residences.
At three points during the 20-week study period, the researchers weighed the subjects, conducted skin fold measurements to record body fat increases and reviewed three-day food diaries, which the participants were required to keep. Students received measuring cups and spoons to help them track the amount of food they consumed.
Compared to the federal government's dietary guidelines, the students' diets were high in fat, salt and sodium and low in fiber and calcium, the researchers found.
On average, men had gained more body fat than women by the end of the study, though weight gain did not differ significantly by gender, country of origin or whether the students lived on or off campus. Some subjects had lost weight at the study's conclusion, the researchers said, perhaps because the study made them aware of weight gain or from increased activity levels from winter to spring months.
Holben, who has conducted an unpublished study on college weight gain among American students, confirmed that the changes in weight and diet observed in the international students are similar to those seen in the first-year college population at large. It's a problem commonly called the "Freshman 15" – a reference to the extra pounds students new to campus life pack on. But studies of international students living in the United States are few and rely on self-reported data.
Though the study was conducted on individuals attending a rural university, Holben and Chen said the results could be relevant to urban students as well. While urbanites may have greater access to native foods in specialty markets, they also face more fast-food temptations.
"My friends who are studying in Columbus, Ohio, and New York City also have gained weight, because fast food is still a cheap choice for them," said Chen.
The findings of this latest study suggest that colleges and universities should do a better job of teaching international students about healthy food choices available in the United States. Otherwise, students may form eating habits that could increase their risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer, Holben said.
"It could negatively impact their health," he said. "Eating patterns from young adulthood are hard to change when you're older."
Attention Editors, Reporters: A copy of the paper on which this news release is based is available by contacting Andrea Gibson at 740-597-2166 or Charlene Clifford 740-593-0946.
Contacts: Andrea Gibson, 740-597-2166, gibsona@ohio.edu, before Oct. 20;
David Holben, 740- 593-2875, holben@ohio.edu, after Oct. 20.