Obesity:Lifestyle,Diet,andStressin

CollegeStudents

GroupNeedsAssessment

UniversityofRhodeIsland,
AdvancedInterdisciplinaryHealthStudies
111015

Authors
BeatriceAke
UniversityofRhodeIsland,Beatrice_ake23@my.uri.edu

SamanthaAnderson
UniversityofRhodeIsland,Sanderson1@my.uri.edu

GenesisGarcia
UniversityofRhodeIsland,Genesis_Garcia@my.uri.edu

PaigeTonra
UniversityofRhodeIsland,PaigeTonra@gmail.com

DanielleWoods
UniversityofRhodeIsland,Danielle_Woods@uri.edu

Abstract

Obesity:Lifestyle,Diet,andStressinCollegeStudentsattheUniversityofRhode
Island

1
1
1
1
1
BAke
,SAnderson
,GGarcia
,PTonra
,andDMWoods
1
DepartmentofHealthStudiesattheUniversityofRhodeIsland

Objective:
Toexamineandtoimplementfutureinterventionsforthisatthishealthrelatedrisk
community.
Participants:
StudentsfromtheUniversityofRhodeIsland(n=1,003)recruitedforawebbased
behavioralsurveyinfallof2013.
Methods:
SecondaryDataanalysisfromavalidatedsurveytakenbyUniversityofRhodeIsland
studentsfromthe2013fallsemester.Thesurveyusedduringthisreportwastakenfromfrom
the20132014BehaviorSurvey.Thesurveycontains86questionsaboutlifestylehabits,
behaviors,andselfevaluations.QuestionsweretakenfromtheBehavioralRiskSurveillance
SystemmicromanagedbytheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.
Results:
Livingoncampus,ratherthanlivingoffcampus,waspositivelycorrelatedwith

studentsweightstatus,
X2
(2,N=976)=7.48,P=.028
.

Conclusions:
Thelikelihoodofbecomingoverweightincreasesbecomesalotmoreofa
significantrisktostudentsthatliveoncampusthanoffcampus.Throughourprimarydatawe
haveconcludedthatthemosttangibleresearchstatementtoprovideaninterventionis,
Students
thatliveoncampusaremorelikelytobeoverweight.

TABLEOFCONTENTS
Page
COVERPAGE...1
ABSTRACT...2
TABLEOFCONTENTS...3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS&DEDICATION.....4
INTRODUCTION.5
PurposeStatement.....6
CollapsedDataTable........68
SociodemographicTable.......8
ETHICALCONSIDERATIONS......9
ANALYSIS1:SmokerStudy..........10
ANALYSIS2:MentalHealthStudy........12
ANALYSIS3:HousingStudy.....13
ANALYSIS4:GenderStudy..........14
ANALYSIS5:DietStudy...........15
ANALYSIS6:ExerciseStudy........17
ANALYSIS7:FruitIntakeStudy.......18
ANALYSIS8:VegetableIntakeStudy...19
ANALYSIS9:ClassStandingStudy,DietBased......20
ANALYSIS10:ClassStandingStudy,WeightBased........21
LIMITATIONS&STRENGTHS............22
CONCLUSION&FUTUREINTERVENTIONS...........23
REFERENCES.....2531

Acknowledgement&Dedication
WewouldliketoexpressthedeepestappreciationbyacknowledgingtheUniversityof
RhodeIslandbecausewithoutprovidinguswithoursecondarydatafromthe20132014Health
BehaviorSurveythisallwouldhavenotbeenpossible.TheUniversity'svisionstatement
includes,tobethemostcaring,respectful,andsoughtafterhealthcareresourceforourdiverse
studentpopulationandaleaderincollegehealth(Health2013).Sowewouldliketothankthe
UniversityofRhodeIslandforpermissiontoincludethissecondarydatainourresearch.
Inaddition,ourutmostgratitudegoestotheSPSSpredictiveanalyticssoftware.Through
thissoftwareweusedourdatatopredictwiththeutmostconfidencefactorsthatcontributetoour
healthissue.Asagroupweareabletomakesmarterdecisionsforfutureinterventions.This
softwarehashelpedusaddress,theentireanalyticalprocess,fromplanning,todatacollection,
toanalysis,andreporting,sowecansolveorimprovetheseriskybehaviors(IBM2012).
Moreover,wehumblydedicatethiscasestudytotheenhancementofHealthStudiesin
makingthisNeedsAssessment.
Ourgroupaimstodevelopanassessmentthatisaworthyreferenceforouruniversity
andotheruniversitiesalike.Thisneedsassessmentshouldbeabletoprovidedataforfuture
researchersandinterventionaliststhatwouldliketodofurtherstudiesinthisareaassessed.
Intheend,wededicatethisneedsassessmenttothestudentsattheUniversityofRhode
Islandthatactivelyparticipatedinthissurveywhoseinformation/participationhelpeduswith
obtainingoursecondarydataanddemonstrateourriskassessmentbasedskills.

Andmostofall,abigthankyoutoProfessorHollandoftheUniversityofRhodeIsland,who
introducedustoandguidedusthroughthisstatisticaldataanalysisassignmentstepbystep
whichwillhavealastingeffect.
Group5
Introduction&PurposeStatement
ObesityisbecomingawidespreadepidemicintheUnitedStates.Althoughobesityisa
globalproblem,theUnitedStatesisabout10yearsaheadintermsofobesitycomparedto
Europe(Haslam2006).Thisdiseaseisapreventablecondition,thatkillsmillionsofpeopleand
costsbillionsinhealthcaredollars.Obesityisoneofthemajorcausesofseriouschronic
diseasessuchas,diabetesandhypertension(Haslam2006).
Thereareanumberoffactorsthatcontributetoapersonbeingobese,fromgeneticsto
environment.Factorsthatinvolvecollegestudentswouldbestress,lifestylebehavior,living
on/offcampus,accesstohealthyfoods,andlackofphysicalactivityandtime.
Findingsfroma
nationalsurveyconductedin2005indicatedthat3outofevery10collegestudentsareeither
2
2
overweight(bodymassindex[BMI]25.029.9kg/m
)orobese(BMI30.0kg/m
).

Behaviorally,9of10studentseatfewerthanfiveservingsoffruitsandvegetablesperday,and
nearly6of10studentsparticipatefewerthan3daysperweekinvigorousintensity(20minutes
ormore)ormoderateintensity(30minutesormore)physicalactivity(ACHA2006).
Adolescentswhoareoverweightorobeseareatagreaterriskofphysicalandmental
healthproblemsbothduringadolescenceandsubsequentadulthood(Herman2009Soric2013).
TheWorldHealthOrganizationhasidentifiedthepreventionandtreatmentofeatingdisorders
amongyoungpeople(Janout2004).

Variousstudiesreportthatthefrequencyandprevalenceof

eatingdisordersishighestamongadolescentgirlsandyoungwomen(Kaye2008Moreno2006).
Seriousconditionsthatcanbepreventedareobesity,heartdisease,type2diabetes,andhigh
bloodpressure.Amongchildrenandadolescents,theprevalenceofobesityishighestamong
olderandMexicanAmericanchildrenandnonHispanicAfricanAmericanfemales(Ogden
2010).
ThechallengesofobesityhavebeenrecognizedbyHealthyPeople2020.Amongstthe
currentnutritionalandweightgoalsofHealthyPeople2020aretoincreasetheproportionof
adultswhoareatahealthyweight,reducetheriskofadultswhoareobese,preventinappropriate
weightgaininyouthandadults,andincreasethecontributionoftotalvegetablesandfruittothe
diet.Thephysicalactivitygoalsincludeincreasingtheproportionofadultswhoperformaerobic
andmusclestrengtheningactivitieson2ormoredaysaweek(HealthyPeople).

Thepurposeofthisreportisto
examineandtobetterunderstandthehealthbehaviorsand

lifestylesofUniversityofRhodeIslandstudentsandidentifyriskbehaviorstohelpguidefuture
researchandinterventions.
Table1:CollapsedDataTable
Questions#s Questions
onSurvey

Response

18

Howmanytimesin
thepast12months
haveyoufelt
moderatelyor
severelydepressed?

0times
1time
2or3times
4or5times
6to10times
11ormoretimes

55

Howdoyoudescribe
yourbody?

Veryunderweight
Slightly
underweight
Abouttheright
weight

RecodedData
Yes,Depressed
No,Hasn'tbeen
Depressed

Underweight
Normal
Overweight

 Slightlyoverweight
VeryOverweight
23

Howoldwereyou
whenyoufirststarted
smokingcigarettes
regularly?

Ihavenever
smokedcigarettes
regularly
12yearsoryounger
13or14yearsold
15or16yearsold
17or18yearsold
19or20yearsold
21to24yearsold
25yearsoldor
older

NeverSmoked
StartedSmoking16years
OldorLess
StartedSmoking17years
OldorOlder

Wherewillyoube
livingthissemester?

Dormitory
Fraternity/Sorority
House
OtherCollege
Housing
OffCampus
Parent/Guardian
Home

OnCampus
OffCampus

62

Yesterday,Howmany
timesdidyoueata
saladorgreen
vegetable?

0Times
1Time
2Times
3ormore

UnderRecommended
Amount
RecommendedAmount

64

Doyoueata
vegetariandiet?

Never
Seldom
Sometimes
Always

Never

1day
2day
3days
4days
5days
6days
7days

02days

66

Onhowmanyofthe
past7daysdidyou
exerciseorparticipate
insportactivitiesfor
atleast20minutes

Seldom
Sometimes
Always

37days

61

Yesterday,howmany
timesdidyoueata
pieceoffruitordrink
fruitjuice?

0times
1time
2times
3times

UnderRecommended
Amount
RecommendedAmount

Whatisyourclass
standing?

EnteringFreshman

Underclassmen
Upperclassmen

Freshman
Sophomores
Juniors
Seniors
GradStudent

57

57

Haveyoueverdieted
orexercisedtolossor
gainweight?

Yes

Haveyoueverdieted
orexercisedtolossor
gainweight?

Yes

Yes,Dieted
No,NotDieted

No

Yes,WeightConscious
No,NotWeight
Conscious

No

Table1:
Illustratesthecollapseddatainformationourgrouphasobtainedthroughstatisticaldata
analysisbyusingchisquaredistributiontotestourrecodeddata.ThisdatawastakenfromURI
HealthBehaviorSurveyandrecodedinIBMSPSSSoftware.

SociodemographicInformation

Table2:SociodemographicSurveyTable
SocioDemographic
Gender

N=1003

N%

Male

369

36.8%

Female

626

62.4%

AgeinYears

Information

Youngerthan17

77

7.7%

1819YearsOld

793

79.1%

2022YearsOld

80

8%

Olderthan23

51

5.1%

EnteringFreshman

384

38.3%

Freshman

466

46.5%

Sophomore

40

4%

Junior

33

3.3%

Senior

0.9%

62

6.2%

ClassStanding

GradStudent

Yes

984

98.1%

No

11

1.1%

FullTimeStudent

Ethnicity

White

871

86.8%

Black

33

3.3%

Hispanic

48

4.8%

Asian

33

3.3%

Indian

0.1%

Table2:
UsingSPSSsoftware,frequencieswererunongender,ethnicity,classstandingand
age.ThisdatawastakenfromtheURIHealthBehaviorSurveygiventothestudents.

EthicalConsiderations
Essentially,acollectivepartnershipwasformedbetweentheresearchersofthisneeds
assessmentandtheHealthServicesDepartmentattheUniversityofRhodeIsland.Thevisionfor
theHealthServicesDepartmentincludes:Providecomprehensiveprimaryhealthcareand
preventionserviceswithinthecontextof:patient'sneedsandexpectations,patientsatisfaction,
easyaccess,highestquality,andcosteffectiveness.Supportthemissionandgoalsofthe
Universitythrough:academicpartnershipsandresearch.Respectthedignityandprivacyofthe
individualbyexercising:compassion,kindness,patience,andsensitivitytodiversity.Createan
environmentconducivetoemployee'sprofessionalgrowthandpersonalfulfillment.Succeed
throughgoodcommunicationsandclearlydefinedpolicies.Teachandpromotehealthylifestyles
anddiseaseprevention.Maintainnationalaccreditation.Focusonthefuture.
9


AllresearcherswereCITItrainedapprovedbyanindependentethicscommittee,
institutionalreviewboard(IRB)bySeptember21,2015beforeresearchcommenced.TheIRBs
missionisto,upholdthehigheststandardsintheethicalconductofresearch,includingthe
protectionofhumanparticipants,whileenablingitsfaculty,staffandstudentstoconduct
researchinatimelyandefficientmanner.(IBM2012).

Thedatautilizedbythisreportcamefromthe20132014HealthBehaviorSurvey.
Participantsforthisstudywerestudents,includingfreshmen,sophomores,juniors,seniors,grad
studentsandenteringfreshman,fromthe2013fallsemesteratURI.Participantswererandomly
selectedfromtheirspecificUniversityofRhodeIslandintroductorycourses,URI101.The
questionsinthissurveyweretakenfromtheBehavioralRiskFactorSurveillanceSystem
(BRFSS).Contributorstothesurveyselfreported,age,race,ethnicity,andotherinformation
throughanonlinesurveyprogramanonymously.Studentsreceivedanemailcontainingthelink
tothesurveyandwereaskedtocompleteitbyacertaindate.

Analysis1:DanielleWoods
SmokingandWeightStatusClassification(SmokerStudy)
ThepopulationofinterestforthisstudywasUniversityofRhodeIslandstudents
(N=1,003)whoarebecomingoverweightwithprevalentriskbehaviorsweseektoimprove.The
DepartmentofHealthServicesprovidedinformationfromthis,TheBehavioralRiskFactor
Survey(BRFSS),arandomcrosssectionalsurveytoidentifyriskybehaviorsthatmayneeda
futureinterventionimplemented.Thissurveycontainedeightysixbehavioralmultiplechoice
surveyquestionsstudentshadtoanswerthroughthiswebbasedsurvey.Thefirstfiveresponses
lookedtotheseuniversitystudentstoselfidentifytheirindividualsociodemographics(See
Table2:
SociodemographicSurveyTable
).
Theareasoffocusincludelifestylebehaviors,
tobaccouse,mentalhealth,diet,housingstatus,gender,exercisehabits,andclassstanding.

10

Thedatathatwecollectedfromthesesurveyendedupbeingrecodedbyeachresearcher
inSPSSsoftwaretoproduceachisquaretestthatpredictswithconfidencefutureresultsthat
willmostlikelyhappensothatasagroupwecanmakesmarterdecisionsforfutureintervention.
Afterachisquaretestwasconductedforeachofourresultsthatwererecodedresearchers
individuallyassessedwhethereachoftheirresultingdatabetweentwooftheirvariables
concludedsignificance(P<0.05).

Thefirstresearchstatementconstructed,Studentswhohavestartedsmoking16yearsof
ageorlessaremorelikelytobeoverweight.Toaddressthisriskbehaviorthetwovariablesthat
weresubjecttoachisquaretestwereperformedbycomparingdatafromQuestions23and
Question55(seeTable1,attached).

InthisBRFSSsurvey973studentsactivelyparticipatedintwosurveyquestionsrelated
todepressionandweightstatus.Thechisquaretestfoundthatourresearchstatementwasnot
statisticallysignificant(p=.540)andthatstudentswhohavestartedsmoking16yearsofageor
lessarelikelytobeoverweightby32.0%withann=8.Incomparison,only42.1%(n=8)of
studentsstartedsmokingwhentheywere17yearsoldorolderareoverweight.Moreover,27.3%
(n=255)aroverweightandhaveneversmokedintheirentirelives.
X2=(4,N=978)=3.10,
p=.540
.SeeFigures1&2belowforadditionalinformation.
Figure1.1:
Studentdepression
statusandweightstatus,n=978.
Thisgraphdescribesthedistribution
ofnontobaccoandtobaccousers
ofURIstudentsinrelationtotheir
weightstatuses.

11

Figure1.2:
Student
depressionstatusand
weightstatus,n=978.This
graphdescribesthepercent
distributionoftobaccousers
amongURIstudentsin
relationtotheirweight
statuses.

Analysis2:DanielleWoods
DepressionandWeightStatusClassification(MentalHealthStudy)
Afterachisquaretestwasconductedforeachofourresultsthatwererecoded.
Researchersindividuallyassessedwhethereachoftheirresultingdatabetweentwooftheir
variablesconcludedsignificance(P<0.05).

Thesecondresearchstatementgeneratedwas,Studentswhohavebecomeseverelyor
moderatelydepressedinthepast12months,4ormoretimesaremorelikelytobecomeobese.
Toimprovethisriskbehaviorthetwovariablesthatweresubjecttoachisquaretestperformed
bycomparingdatafromQuestions18,independentvariable,andQuestion55,dependent

12

variable.Theindependentvariablearestudentswhoaredepressed,whilethedependentvariable
istheweightstatusofthestudents(seeTable1,attached).

InthisBRFSSsurvey973studentsactivelyparticipatedintwosurveyquestionsrelated
todepressionandweightstatus.Thechisquaretestfoundthatourresearchstatementwas
statisticallysignificant(p=.000)thatstudentswhohavebecomeseverelyormoderately
depressedinthepast12months,4ormoretimes,aremorelikelytobecomeobese(54.5%,
n=60).Incomparison,only10%(n=11)of
studentsareunderweight.
X2=(2,N=973)
=47.82,p=.000
.SeeFigure3for
additionalinformation.

Figure2.1:
Distributionamongdepressed
studentsvs.nondepressedstudents,
N=973.Thisgraphdescribesthetotal
numberofoverweight,normal,and
underweightstudentsthateitherhaveor
havenotbeendepressedinthepast12
months.

Analysis3:PaigeTonra
Studentsthatliveoncampusaremorelikelytobeoverweight.
ThisChisquareanalysiswasusedtodetermineifwherethestudentlivesaffectstheir
weightstatus.Theindependentvariableinthishypothesisiswherethestudentlive(onoroff
campus)andthedependentvariableisweight.Thedatawascollapsedtomakedorm,fraternity
orsororityandothercollegehousingtobeconsideredlivingoncampus.Havinganoffcampus
houseorlivingwithaparentorguardianisconsideredtobelivingoffcampus.Thestatistics

13

showthatofthoseN=829studentsthatansweredtolivingoncampus,63%ofthemconsider
themselvestobeatnormalweight.OftheN=147studentsthatrespondedtolivingoffcampus,
64%consideredthemselvestohaveanormalweight.26%ofstudentsthatliveoncampus
considerthemselvestobeoverweight,incomparisontothosethatliveoffcampuswitharateof
32%.AccordingtotheNationalHealthInstitutionaBMIof<18.5isconsideredunderweight,
normalweightBMI=18.524.9,andoverweightBMI=2529.9.Resultsofthisanalysisis
statisticallysignificant.Whichmeansthatthereisasignificantdifferenceinweightdepending
2
onwherethestudentlives.X
(2,

N=976)=7.48,P=.028.

Figure3
Showspercentageof
studentswhoareunderweight,
normalweightandoverweight
accordingtowheretheylive.(N=
947)

Analysis4:PaigeTonra
Studentsthatliveoffcampuseatmorevegetables.
Thesecondchisquaretestwastodetermineifthosewholiveoffcampusweremore
likelytoeattherecommendedamountofvegetables.Theindependentvariablewaswherethe
studentslived(onoroffcampus)andthedependentvariableisifthestudentseatthe
recommendedamountofvegetablesperday.ThestatisticsshowthatwithN=146,90%of
studentsthatliveoffcampusdonotmeettherecommendeddailyvegetableintakeof2ormorea
day.Only10%ofstudentsthatliveoffcampuseattherecommendedamountdaily.Thisdata
alsoshowsthatN=846,studentswholiveoncampusonly9%eattherecommendedamount.
Resultsofthisanalysisshowthatthedataisnotsignificantwhichmeansthatstudentswholive

14

2
offcampusandoncampusdonotmeetthedailyrecommendedamountofvegetables.X
(1,N=

971)=.150,P=.698.

Figure4.
Showstheamountofvegetablesconsumedeachdaydependingonwherethestudent
lives.Theyareclassifiedintotwogroups,thosewhomeettherecommendedamountperdayand
thosewhodonot.

Analysis5:SamanthaAnderson
Studentswhoexercisearelesslikelytobeoverweight(Q57and66).
ThepopulationofinterestforthisanalysiswerestudentsattheUniversityofRhode
Island(Table2.)whocompletedanonlinesurvey(N=1003).Thehypothesis1statesthat
studentswhoexercisearelesslikelytobeoverweight.Questions57and66wereanalyzedto
answerthehypothesis.Question57asks,
haveyoueverdietedorexercisedtoloseweightorto
keepfromgainingweight?
Theanswerswereyesandno.Theywererecodedto,weight
consciousandnotweightconscious.Question66asks,
onhowmanyofthepast7daysdidyou
doexerciseorparticipateinsportactivitiesforatleast20minutes?
AccordingtotheAmerican
HeartAssociation(AHA),atleast3daysofphysicalactivityaweekisrecommendedforoverall
cardiovascularhealthandforloweringbloodpressureandcholesterol.Theseanswerswere
15

recodedinto02daysand37daystoreflecttherecommendationsofAHAwith<02days
beingconsideredinadequateexercise.
TheChisquareanalysiswasdonetoshowtheprevalencebetweenstudentswhodietto
loseweight(weightconscious)andtheamountofdaysaweektheyexercise.Figure5showsthat
thereisagreaterproportionofstudentswhoexerciseweeklyandmeetthecriteriaforthe
recommendedamountofphysicalactivityanddiet.Outofthetotalnumberofvalidanswers,
N=972,34.8%ofthestudentsareweightconsciousandworkout37daysaweekcomparedto
31.6%studentswhoworkout02days.Outofstudentswhoarenotweightconscious,18.4%
2
exercise37daysand15.0%exercise02days.Thiswasnotstatisticallysignificant,X
,(7,

N=972)=11.041,P=<1.137.

Figure5:
Lengthofphysicalactivityperweekdividedbyintenttoloseweightamongststudents
attheUniversityofRhodeIsland(N=972).

16

Analysis6:SamanthaAnderson
Studentswhoarevegetarianaremoreweightconsciousandlesslikelytobecome
overweight(Q57and66).
Analysis6statesthatstudentswhoarevegetarianaremoreweightconsciousandless
likelytobecomeoverweight.Questions57and64wereusedtoanalyzethishypothesis.
Question57waspreviouslydiscussed.Question64reads,
doyoueatavegetariandiet?
The
responseswere
1.Never
,
2.Seldom,3.Sometimes,4.Often,5.Always
.Thesewererecodedinto
neverandsometimes/alwaystogivecategoriescomparingnonvegetariandiettoatleastsome
vegetariandiet.Thechisquareanalysiswasdonetoshowthatstudentswhoeatavegetarian
dietaremoreweightconscious,therefore,lesslikelytobeoverweight.Figure6showsthatbeing
avegetariandoesntnecessarilycorrelatewithbeingweightconsciousbecausepeoplewhoare
notvegetarianarejustaslikelytobeweightconscious.Therefore,therewasstatistical
2
significance,X
(4,N=973)=37.201,P=<0.0001.

Figure6:
Showstheproportionofstudents(N=973)atUniversityofRhodeIslandwhoeata
vegetariandietandareweightconscious/dietorexercisetoloseweight.

17

Analysis7:GenesisGarcia
Studentswhoconsumedtherecommendedamountoffruitsarelesslikelytobecomeobese.
ThepopulationofinterestforthisanalysiswerestudentsatUniversityofRhodeIslandwho
completedasurvey(N=1003).Questions57and61wereanalyzedtoanswertheresearch
statement.Question57asks,
haveyoueverdietedorexercisedtoloseweightortokeepfrom
gainingweight?
Theanswerswereyesandno.Theywererecodedto,weightconsciousandnot
weightconscious.Question61asks,
yesterdayhowmanytimesdidyoueatapieceoffruitor
drinkfruitjuice?
Theanswerswere,
1.zerotimes,2.onetime,3.twotimes,and4.threetimes.
AccordingtotheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture,(MyPlate),therecommendeddaily
amountsoffruitsare2to3cupsaday.Theseanswerswererecodedinto01times(not
meetingrecommendations)and23times(meetingrecommendations).Foradditional
informationviewfigure7.
Chisquare1:
Chisquareisthestatisticaltestthattestsfortheexistenceofarelationshipbetweentwo
variables(independentvariableanddependentvariable).Theindependentvariablewasservings
offruitsadayandthedependentvariablewasweight.ThestatisticsshowthatofthoseN=972
(96.9%)studentsthatresponded,59.9%ofthemmetthedailyfruitrecommendation.Wecan
concludethatthereisnosignificantrelationshipfoundbetweenintakeoffruitsandweight.X2(3,
N=972)=4.965,P=.174.

18


Figure7.
ChartshowsthestudentsofUniversityofRhodeIsland(N=972)whometthe
recommendationamountandthosethatdidnotmeettherecommendationamount.

Analysis8:GenesisGarcia
Studentswhoeattherecommendedamountofvegetablearelesslikelytobecomeobese.
Questions57and62wereusedtoanalyzethisstatement.Question57wasdiscussedinthe
hypothesesprior.Question62asks,
yesterdayhowmanytimesdidyoueatgreensalador
vegetables?
Theanswerswere
1.zerotimes,2.onetimes,3.twotimes,and4.threetimes.
AccordingtotheUnitesStatesDepartmentofAgriculture,(MyPlate),therecommendeddaily
amountsofvegetablesis2to3cupsaday.Theseanswerswererecodedinto01times(not
meetingrecommendations)and23times(meetingrecommendations).Foradditional
information,viewfigure8.
Chisquare2:
Chisquareisthestatisticaltestthattestsfortheexistenceofarelationshipbetweentwo
variables(independentvariableanddependentvariable).Theindependentvariablewasservings
ofvegetablesadayandthedependentvariablewasweight.Thestatisticsshowthatofthose
N=970(96.7%)studentsthatresponded,29.2%ofthemmetthedailyvegetables
recommendation.Weconcludethatthereisnosignificantrelationshipfoundbetweenvegetables
andweight.X2(3,N=970)=5.749,P=.125

19


Figure8.
ChartrecordedstudentsoftheUniversityofRhodeIsland(N=970)whoanswered
yesornotodietingandwhomettherecommendationsandwhodidnot.

Analysis9:BeatriceAke
Underclassmanaremorelikelytomaintaintheirweightthanupperclassman.
Studiesshowthatthegreatestincreaseinobesityandoverweightisduringtheagesof
eighteenandtwentynine,whichformanyareduringtheircollegeyears(Racette,2008).There
hasalsobeengreatphenomenonaboutthefamous
freshmenfifteen
.Butwhataboutsenioryear?
Theyearwheremanyarebusybalancinginternships,job,school,extracurricularactivities,and
homework.Someoftheirbestoptionsareaquicklunchordinnerfromfastfoodchainsor
microwavableproductsduetolackoftime.Withourtwostatements
Underclassmanaremore
likelytomaintaintheirweightthanupperclassmanand2.Underclassmanhavebettereating
habitsthanupperclassman.
Wewantedtochallengethisimageofthe
freshmanfifteen
.

Underclassmanaremorelikelytomaintaintheirweightthanupperclassman
derived
fromtwoquestioninthesurveygiventostudents.Question#3whichwas
whatisyourclass
standing?
andQuestion#55
howwouldyoudescribeyourbody?
Weredecoded(usetable1for
reference)andinsertedintoSPSStoconfigureachisquareandproduceourpvalue.

Figure9representsourresultsafterwedecodedandproducednewvalues.Ourresponse
rateforthisparticularhypothesiswasN=972.Outofthe972respondents89.5%ofthemwere
underclassmanandonly10.5%wereupperclassman.Comparedtotheupperclassmanthe
proportionofunderclassmanthatstatedtheyconsideredthemselvesoverweightwas24%,Inthe
caseofupperclassmantheproportionofoverweightindividualswas3.5%.Throughour
ChiSquarewewereabletoconcludethatourresearchstatementisnotstatisticallysignificant
2
duetoourpvaluebeinggreaterthan.05.X
(20,N=972)=21.6P=.361

20


Figure9:
Chartdescribesthe
correlationbetweenURIs
students(N972)weight
statusesandtheirclass
standing.

Analysis10:BeatriceAke
Underclassmanhavebettereatinghabitsthanupperclassman.
ForthelastAnalysiswelookatwhether
underclassmanhavebettereatinghabitsthan
upperclassmen.
WehavealsocategorizedourdatajustasanalysisninebyusingSPSS.Wehave
takentheoldvaluesofbothquestionsthatderivedourresearchquestionandsimplifiedthedata.
Againweusedquestion#3fromtheHealthBehaviorSurveysinceourresearchquestionisonce
againlookingatthecorrelationbetweenclassstandinganddiet.Forourindependentvariable,
whichisquestion#57.Whichaskedstudentsiftheyeverdietedtogainorloseweight.

Forouranalysis10outofthetotalpopulationofN=1003wehad970studentswhom
respondedtoourspecificquestions.Thefrequencyofunderclassmanwhomrespondedwas867
andonly103werefromupperclassmen.57.9%oftheunderclassmanstatedthattheyhavedieted
toeithergainorlossweight.Incomparisononly8.5%ofupperclassmanrevealedthattheyhave
dieted,Throughourchisquarewewereabletogetapvalueof.031.Sinceoursignificantvalue
is.031,whichislessthan.05,wecanconcludethatthereisasignificantrelationshipbetween
2
classstandingandeatinghabits.X
(5,N=970)=12,2,P=.031

21


Figure10:
Chartillustratesthe
prevalenceofstudentsatURIs
(N970)classstandingand
whethertheysaid,yesorno
todieting.

Limitations&Strengths
Whilethisdataanalysistheresearchersusedisprimarilybasedonrecodeddata
collectedfromtheUniversityofRhodeIsland'sHealthServicesDepartment20132014Behavior
Surveytherearelimitationsandstrengthsthatexist.
Someofthestrengthsthatasateamtheresearchersconcluded,bytheusesoftheBRFSS,
includearepresentationofalargepopulation,alowcost,convenientfordatagathering,no
observersubjectivity,andhavingdesiredstatisticalsignificancedataresults.
Thiswebbasedsurveythatprovidesdatathatrepresentsalargerpopulationof
UniversityofRhodeIslandstudentsfromthe2013fallsemester.Inconclusion,thisprovidea
betterdescription,specificallyontherelativeriskybehaviorofthegeneralpopulationinvolved
inthestudy.Thesecondstrengthisthelowcostofthisstudy.Whenconductingsurveyslikethe
BRFSS,URIsHealthServiceDepartmentonlyneededtopayfortheproductionofsurvey
questionnairesthusmakingconductingsurveysinthismannerinexpensiveforresearchers.The
thirdstrengthistheconvenienceofgatheringthistypeofdata.Inthisstudytheuseofthe

22

BRFSSandSPSSsoftwaremadeiteasiertocollectdata,targetparticipants,andsimplifydata.
Thefourthstrengthofthisstudyisthesubjectivitybecausethesetypesofrandom
crosssectional
surveysareidealtoeliminatetheresearchersownbiases.Lastly,thissurveymethodhasmade
thisneedsassessmenteasiertofindstatisticallysignificantdataresultsforfutureinterventions.
Moreover,researcherseasilydiscoverstatisticallysignificantpreciseresultsandaregiven
multiplevariablestoutilizefortheirchisquaretests(Advantages2015).
Somelimitationstothisstudyarethatmostofthestudentsbeingsurveyedareincoming
freshmanorarefreshman.Ofthe1003studentsthatansweredthesurveyquestions,ofthem
werefemalewhichskewsthedata.Thisdataprovidesuswithinitialinformationfromthe
students,butthereisneverafollowupsurveytoseeiftheanswerswerechanged.
Conclusion&FutureInterventions
SusanRacetteaddressedthefactthatinHealthyPeople2010over200objectivesthat
werespecified,thetoptwoconcernswerephysicalactivityandobesityincollegestudents
(Racette2008).InRhodeIslandresidentsages1825haveanobesityrateof17.9%anda
currentadultobesityrateof27.0%(TheStateofObesity2014).Throughourresearchwehave
beenabletoidentifyimportantfactorsthatcancontributetothelikelyhoodofobesityincollege
studentsandallowforimprovementthroughaneffectiveintervention.Fromthetendifferent
causesthatweaddressedonlyfourofourresearchstatementswerestatisticallysignificant.The
fourmajorcontributorstoweightgainweredepression,housingstatus(onoroffcampus),ifa
vegetarianregimenwasfollowed,andclassstanding.
Throughourprimarydatawehaveconcludedthatthemosttangibleresearchstatement
toprovideaninterventionis,
Studentsthatliveoncampusaremorelikelytobeoverweight.
Itis

23

oneofthefourstatementsthatwerestatisticallysignificant.With32%ofoncampusURI
studentsclassifyingthemselvesasoverweightandapvalueof.028.Ourfindingsrepresenta
necessityforthedevelopmentofaninterventiontomitigatetheprevalenceofobesity/overweight
inURIoncampusresidents.
Manycomponentscanleadtothepervasivenessofobesityinanoncampussetting.One
ofthedeterminatesthatrecognizedasagroupisthatUniversityofRhodeIslandstudentshave
accesstolimitlessmealswipesandareprivilegedwithunlimitedservingswhichcanleadto
weightgain.Withourprimaryandsecondarydatausedasareferencewehopetoachievean
effectiveandsuccessfulinterventiontoaddresstheimportanceofdecreasingthepredominance
ofweightgaininUniversitystudents.

24

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