How Universities Can Prevent Freshman 15
Freshman 15 is a common phrase used to describe a students first year of college. I'm sure we all have heard about it. There's a reason the phrase has been around for so long, although originally it was "freshman 10". The saying holds some truth to it. The article "Freshman 15 myth carries weight for a reason" by Bill Dunphy describes a study done that confirmed that students gain an average of 5lbs in their first year. 5lbs does not sound like a serious issue, but for some students it's not a measly 5lbs. The weight gain can be contributed to a few factors.
The article "Freshman 15 may not be your fault" puts the blame on campuses food environments. Students are often stressed from exams and workload. A lot of students are pressed for time and opt to grab a quick snack or fast food. A study published by The American Journal of Health Promotion shows "Approximately 45% of students purchased food/beverages from at least one campus area venue more than 3 times per week." The results of the study also showed that higher snack consumption was directly associated with skipping breakfast and higher fast food consumption; while those who brought a lunch from home showed healthy diet patterns.
Almost half of the students from one campus were not preparing their own lunches. This could be because students are not confident cookers. Many of these freshman are coming from households where they did not prepare their own meals. They may not know how or what to cook. Many students feel they may not have the time to cook. A study conducted by Jennifer Pelletier and Melissa Laska explains that "more than half (57.9 percent) of young adult participants reported experiencing time constraints in general, that is, they often felt too busy with school or other demands, and only 37.1 percent felt they had a healthy balance in their lives." The study suggest that programming needs to emphasize on promoting healthy meals that are quick and easy to cook.
I completely agree with the implications of the study. To promote a healthy diet among students, universities should make it a requirement for all students to take a cooking class their freshman year; they also need to create a healthier food environment. Universities have a moral responsibility towards its students, they should be concerned with the students well being.
Some may feel that it is not the universities responsibility Universities are already involved in food service. Many universities have dining halls, fast food franchises, Starbucks, and vending machines. If you are a student at a 4 year university, you have seen everything I have listed at your university. I have studied at 3 universities and all 3 had these elements within them. Sadly some universities even require that a student purchase a meal plan when they are living on campus. This promotes the use of their dining hall, many of which are buffet style. The buffet style dining halls just promotes unhealthy eating. The food environment on campus is not entirely the fault of the university, but instead the food service companies hired by the universities.
The food service companies are usually in charge of what food is being provided all over campus. They dictate what food should be served at the dining halls or campus kitchens. The article "Fire Your Food Service and Grow Your Own" by William Wootton further elaborates how the food services are protrayed and reveals how they are operated. These food services are usually protrayed to serve only healthy, freshly prepared meals. However, these food services are usually part of a parent company. Wootton explains that "between 50 and 60 percent of college food services are managed by outside corporations". He goes on to explain that many of these outside corporations are multi billion companies only concerned with making a profit. Sadly, these same food services are also responsible for the fast food franchises on campuses. They are not concerned with the students well being. Instead they create a toxic food environment.
Food environment has a big impact on what students may grab to eat. Many times a busy student will grab something to snack on and go. This eating on the run is a result of the food environment created by the food services. The responsibility lies on the universities to make changes that promote healthier eating habits. Changes include better advertising for healthier foods, less fast food franchises on campus, and reduction of vending machines. The first thing you may notice walking into my universities "cafeteria", would be the familiar fast food chains such as "Chick-Fil-A", "Panda Express", and "Pizza Hut". The Pizza Hut was the first thing I noticed as it was unusual to see inside a university. The next thing you may notice is the delicious looking dessert plated next to the salad bar. I barely notice the salad bar, and fruits are cupped and laid out next to pudding and yogurt cups that look more appetizing. This type of food environment, one where the veggies and fruits are hidden among unhealthy pleasures, only promotes unhealthy eating.
Universities are already in charge of developing the students skills the student requires for a profession. They help in preparing young adults mature into fully capable adults. Cooking is an important skill that shows independence; like a right of passage into adulthood. Cooking is important because it has been associated with positive outcomes. A study published in the academic journal Appetite reveals "that home cooking may be linked with positive outcomes, including the development of personal relationships, establishing stronger gender or cultural identities, and enhanced diet and health indicators." Enhanced diet and health indicators alone is good enough reason to pick up cooking. The study also suggests that there was a greater sense of independence among adolescents. This is an important impact since many college students coming out of high school are learning to become independent for the first time. Another study published in Appetite suggests that "cooking skills correlated positively with weekly vegetable consumption, but negatively with weekly convenience food consumption frequency, even while holding the effect of health consciousness related to eating constant." Since cooking skills correlates with a better diet, it is in the best interest of universities to offer cooking classes to its students.
The universities could implement a program that teaches students how to cook meals. The programs could come in the form of required or optional classes, or even extra student services. The meals introduced to students through these programs could be centered around time required to prepare. Classes could focus on meals that take little to no time to prepare. However, the class does not need to focus on the nutritional facts and healthy meals. This may encourage students to cook whatever they enjoy cooking and eating.Finally, the class could show students that cooking is not a daunting task that is difficult to learn. Cooking can become a creative outlet that gives students a short break from studying. Students should come out of the class more confident and comfortable with everyday cooking. They can still enjoy fast food in moderation of course, but great cooking skills should help in avoiding daily fast food consumption.
To further prevent convenience food consumption, universities need to promote a healthier food environment. This could consist of laying out more fruit and veggies in the open, Using less familiar fast food locations, and revamping of the dining hall program. By laying out more fruit and veggies in the open, students are more likely to grab that for a snack. Students are also more likely to eat what is familiar to them, so having fast food restaurants that are widely recognized promotes unhealthy eating. The revamping of the dining hall program is the most important, since it is the biggest contributor to students eating habits. The buffet-style dining hall promotes unhealthy portions of eating. People generally eat until they are stuffed, but Pollan offers a rule of eating that everyone should follow: "Eat until your 80% full". The saying originates from Okinawa, and it is a healthy rule to follow.
In conclusion, students are responsible for their own actions but many are misguided and need the extra help. Universities are important institutions that help guides its students in a positive direction. They can make a huge impact in the students life if they make changes to their food environment and start programs that help students become comfortable with cooking.