Research

Energy balance

Transitioning from high school to college is associated with a significant risk of weight gain (≥5% baseline body weight) in approximately 23% of students, primarily driven by reduced physical activity and increased sleep duration.

If you are starting college, be aware that your first semester is a high-risk time for gaining 5% or more of your body weight. This is often linked to becoming less physically active and sleeping more. To prevent this, maintain your pre-college physical activity habits and be mindful of your sleep schedule, as these are key factors in the observed weight gain.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
23% of participants gained ≥ 5% of their body weight during the approximately 16-week period... Those who gained ≥ 5% of body weight reported less physical activity during college than high school... and slept more than were those who did not gain ≥ 5% of body weight.
Heidi J. Wengreen et al. · Nutrition Journal · 2009

Why this rating

Longitudinal observational study with measured weight but self-reported behavioral data; moderate sample size (n=159) and specific demographic (western US, predominantly white).

Source

Change in diet, physical activity, and body weight among young-adults during the transition from high school to college

Heidi J. Wengreen et al. · Nutrition Journal · 2009

DOI 10.1186/1475-2891-8-32

cohort · n=186Cited 278×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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