Adherence
First-year university students gain an average of 1.36 kg (3 lbs) during their first year, with 60.9% of students gaining weight and weight gainers averaging 3.38 kg (7.5 lbs).
You are likely to gain about 3 pounds (1.4 kg) in your first year of university, not 15. This gain is statistically significant but manageable. Focus on the first few months, as most of this gain happens early. If you are one of the 60% who gain weight, you might gain closer to 7.5 lbs, but this is still far less than the 'Freshman 15' myth suggests. Prioritize healthy habits early to prevent this from becoming a long-term trend.
The overall pooled mean weight gain was 1.36 kg (3lbs) (95 % CI: 1.15 – 1.57) over an average of 5 months. A majority of students, 60.9 %, gained weight during freshman year and these on average gained 3.38 kg (7.5lbs) (95 % CI: 2.85 – 3.92).
Why this rating
High-quality meta-analysis of 32 longitudinal studies, though heterogeneity was high (I2 > 80%).
Source
A meta-analysis of weight gain in first year university students: is freshman 15 a myth?
Claudia Vadeboncoeur et al. · BMC Obesity · 2015
DOI 10.1186/s40608-015-0051-7
More from this paper
- Weight gain in first-year university students is not significantly different between males and females, with both gaining approximately 1.3-1.4 kg on average.Good
- The majority of weight gain in the first year occurs during the first term (first 4 months), with students gaining 1.24 kg in the first term versus 1.76 kg by the end of the year.Good
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