title: Behavior change and the freshman 15: tracking physical activity and dietary patterns in 1st-year university women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors assessed the stability of diet and physical activity and their relationship to weight changes in first-year university women.
  
  
  METHODS
  They collected anthropometric and body composition data from 101 resident women at the beginning of their first year of college and again at 12 months. The authors obtained physical activity and dietary logs 4 times throughout the year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Caloric intake decreased over 12 months in all participants (p = .01). There was little change in physical activity in participants who lost weight (p = .73, d = .18). Those who gained weight experienced a trend toward decreased physical activity (p = .13, d = .38). A significant Time X Group interaction on physical activity (p = .04) suggests that physical activity patterns differed substantially between individuals who gained weight and those who lost weight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reduction in physical activity appears to be the defining characteristic in freshman weight gain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University, ON, Canada. mary.jung@usask.ca
authors.forename: Mary Elizabeth
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Steven Russell
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bray
authors.forename: Kathleen Anne
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Martin Ginis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D004032:Diet; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*