Research
Energy balance
Transitioning to higher education is associated with significant weight gain (avg 2.7 kg) driven by decreased sport participation and increased leisure internet use.
If you are starting college, expect to gain weight unless you actively maintain your sport participation and limit leisure internet use. Focus on keeping your exercise habits from high school.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
On average students gained 2.7 kg... A higher decrease in sport participation, a higher increase in internet use and a lower increase in studying were related to a greater increase in BMI.
Why this rating
Prospective longitudinal study with objective weight measures, though self-reported behavior.
Source
Changes in weight, physical activity, sedentary behaviour and dietary intake during the transition to higher education: a prospective study
Bénédicte Deforche et al. · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2015
DOI 10.1186/s12966-015-0173-9
cohort · n=291Cited 368×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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