A study recently published online by the Journal of Adolescent Health concludes that female (but not male!) students in dorms with dining halls gained significantly more weight than those who were forced to go out to eat. The lead author, Kandice Kapinos (University of Michigan), took advantage of the practice of colleges to randomly assign dorm rooms. Specifically, she and her study team examined the weight gain of 388 freshmen at Marquette University. (See a few more details in this press release.).However, they relied on self-reporting rather than direct observation and measurement, which creates some doubt about the validity of their conclusions. After all, people have been known to fudge about their weight. 😉
Nevertheless, based on observation of three daughters and two sons who went off to college, I believe that Kapinos et al are really on to something. This was sealed in my mind from the observation of my youngest girl, who soon will start her third year in a biochemistry program. She said it really is very simple – the female students hang around the dorm dining hall for social reasons, during which times they naturally munch on stuff and pack on the pounds. I think for the good of their students it would be wise of schools not to put cafeterias in the dorms.
“I think perhaps that women are a little more socially oriented at college, and one social thing they engage in might be, ‘Let’s go get a snack,’ Men may not tend to do that as much.”
— Wayne Westcott, Senior Fitness Executive for the YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts
By the way, putting on weight after going away to college — the proverbial “freshman 15” – is bound to happen, I think; and for both men and women. I gained 15 pounds after moving into a dorm at Michigan State University. It had a dining hall in the building. However, I’ll bet I’d have added weight just the same even if the meals were served elsewhere on campus.