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Students at Lincoln University with a body mass index of 30 or above, reflective of obesity, must take a fitness course that meets three hours per week. Those who are assigned to the class but do not complete it cannot graduate. ...

"I didn't come to Lincoln to be told that my weight is not in an acceptable range," [LU student Tina Lawson wrote in an editorial in the school paper]. "I came here to get an education which, as a three-time honor student, is something I have been doing quite well, despite the fact that I have a slightly high Body Mass Index."

But James DeBoy, chairman of the school's Department of Health and Physical Education, says the requirement is just like courses to help students' communications or math proficiency. The faculty also has a priority to be honest with students, he said.

"We, as educators, must tell students when we believe, in our heart of hearts, when certain factors, certain behaviors, attitudes, whatever, are going to hinder that student from achieving and maximizing their life goals," he said.

Labels: overweight, students, college, bmi

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

According to a common college myth, freshmen come home for winter break about fifteen pounds heavier than when they moved into their dormitories.  However, the actual average weight gain is closer to five pounds, according to Cynthia Bulik, director of the Eating Disorders Program at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Part of why freshmen gain weight is that dining halls are now open all hours and provide all-you-can-eat helpings. 

"It's like a smorgasbord on a cruise ship," Dr. Bulik said.

High school students should not to go on reducing diets or engage in other dangerous weight-loss techniques the summer before college. Instead, Dr. Bulk advises students to  go to college "as robust and healthy as you can."  Concentrate on eating fruits and vegetables, and eating meals at regular times of the day.

"Remember that you are so much more than your body," she said.  "Don't think that your success in college either academically or socially is just related to your weight and size."

Labels: students, college

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 1 Comment

College students residing in dormitories that have dining halls gain more weight than those who walk to their cafeterias, according to a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Researchers at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan found that female students living in dorms with dining halls weighed two pounds more and exercised 1.43 fewer times a week than those in dormitories that had no dining halls.

Male students consumed 1.5 more meals and three more snacks a week than their counterparts living in dormitories without dining halls.
 

Labels: students, college

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 1 Comment