LIFESTYLE AND BODY WEIGHT CHANGES IN YOUNG FEMALES

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中利用 资源由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目和 调查员(PI)可能从NIH的另一个来源获得了主要资金， 并因此可以在其他清晰的条目中表示。列出的机构是 该中心不一定是调查人员的机构。 在过去十年中，观察到成年人肥胖率上升最快的是年轻人(18-29岁)。流行病学研究表明，体重的显著变化发生在成年早期。伴随着体重增加的是患慢性病的风险增加。因此，重要的是要找出生命中体重发生变化的关键阶段。一群被认为在成年早期体重会增加的年轻人是住在校园里的一年级女大学生。据信，学生在大学第一年体重增加了15磅(6.8公斤)，也被称为“新生15磅”。然而，很少有研究系统地研究住在校园里与住在家里相比，大学第一年的体重变化情况。因此，这项研究的目的是：1)确定住在中西部一所大型大学主校区的一年级女大学生体重变化的方向和幅度，并将这些变化与在这所中西部大学入学但住在家里的一年级女大学生进行比较；2)确定与体重变化相关的决定因素。 将使用准实验设计，受试者将是主要的分析单元。研究对象是俄亥俄州立大学大学注册处随机挑选的200名新生，其中一半住在校园里，另一半住在家里。 所有随机选择的受试者将在2005年8月期间(基线)收到一份书面调查。当秋季开始时，受试者将被要求立即访问综合临床研究中心(GCRC)，使用生物电阻抗测量身高、体重和身体成分(访问1)。2006年春季，受试者将返回GCRC完成与基线相同的问卷调查，并使用生物电阻抗测量身高、体重和身体成分(访问2)。 主要的结果变量是体重的变化。感兴趣的次要结果是身体成分、体力活动、饮食和节食实践变量的变化。 将对在访问1和访问2期间测量身高和体重的参与者进行数据分析。描述性统计将用于总结受试者的基线特征。协方差分析将用于基线体重、吸烟、基线体力活动和种族的协变量。这些变量将被用作协变量，因为它们与体重随时间变化的已知关联。将使用方差分析来确定住在主校区的一年级女大学生的体重变化是否与住在家里的一年级女大学生的体重变化不同。 这项研究将提供有关成年早期生命关键阶段体重变化的重要信息。如果大学第一年被确定为女性体重变化的关键时期，可以制定针对女大学生的目标、干预措施和提高认识的活动，这些活动很容易推广到全国的学院和大学。同样，如果没有发生重大变化，重要的是驱散这些信息，改变关于“新生15岁”的神话。 该项目将提供初步数据，可纳入更大的纵向项目。该项目还将提供可能用于提高认识的初步数据。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Over the past decade the highest increase in the prevalence of obesity in adults was observed among young adults (18-29 y of age). Epidemiological studies show that significant changes in body weight occur during early adulthood. Accompanying this increase in body weight is an increased risk for chronic disease. Therefore, it is important to identify key stages of life during which changes in body weight occur. One group of young individuals that are believed to gain body weight during early adulthood is female first-year college students living on campus. It is believed that students gain 15 lbs (6.8 kg) during their first year in college, also referred to "the freshmen 15". Few studies however, have systematically examined how body weight changes during the first year of college while living on campus compared to living at home. Therefore, the aims of this study are: 1) to determine the direction and magnitude of weight change among first-year female college students living on the main campus at a large Midwestern university and to compare these changes to first-year female college students enrolled at this large Midwestern university but living at home; and 2) to identify determinants of the associated changes in weight. A quasi-experimental design will be used, and subjects will be the primary unit of analysis. Subjects will be 200 incoming female freshman randomly selected by the university registrar at The Ohio State University half of whom will be living on campus, the other half living at home. All randomly selected subjects will receive a written survey by mail during August of 2005 (baseline). Subjects will be asked to visit the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) immediately when fall quarter starts for the measurement of height, weight and body composition using Bioelectrical Impedance (VISIT 1). During the Spring of 2006, subjects will return to the GCRC to complete the same questionnaires as baseline, and to obtain measurement of height, weight and body composition using Bioelectrical Impedance (VISIT 2). The primary outcome variable is change in body weight. Secondary outcome of interest are changes in body composition, physical activity, diet, and dieting practice variables. Data analysis will be performed on participants whose measurement of height and weight was obtained during VISIT 1 and VISIT 2. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize baseline characteristics of the subjects. An analysis of covariance will be used with covariates of baseline weight, smoking, baseline physical activity and ethnicity. These variables will be used as covariates because of their known association with body weight changes over time. An analysis of variance will be used to determine whether the change in body weight is different for the first-year female college students living on the main campus compared to first-year female college students living at home. This study will provide important information concerning body weight changes during a key stage of life in early adulthood. If the first year in college is determined as a critical time period for weight changes in females, objectives, interventions and awareness activities could be developed targeting female college students that could be readily generalized to colleges and universities throughout the nation. Similarly, if no significant changes occur, it is important to disperse this information and change the myth about the "freshmen 15". The project will provide preliminary data that can be incorporated into a larger longitudinal project. The project will also provide preliminary data that maybe used to raise awareness.