Table 1.
Demographic and descriptive characteristics of participants in two studies of freshman year college weight change
| Study 1 – “Public University” (N = 904) | Study 2 – “Private University” (N = 382) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sex (%) | ||
| Male | 54.6 | 39.3 |
| Female | 45.4 | 60.7 |
| Hispanic Race (%) | 3.2 | 11.2 |
| Ethnicity (%) | ||
| European-American | 91.3 | 63.5 |
| African-American | 1.4 | 3.1 |
| Asian-American | 3.3 | 18.5 |
| Other/Multiracial | 3.7 | 14.9 |
| Age (yr.) | ||
| Mean ± SD | 18.66 ±.36 | 18.51 ±.60 |
| Highest Parent Education Level (%) | ||
| High school or less | 14.5 | 6.4 |
| Some college | 13.2 | 5.3 |
| College graduate | 42.4 | 24.1 |
| Professional degree | 30.0 | 64.2 |
| Initial weight (kg) | ||
| Mean ± SD) | 70.7 ± 14.6 | 64.0 ± 12.1 |
| Median | 68.5 | 62.1 |
| Range | 39.0 – 154.7 | 38.3 – 112.1 |
| Initial BMI (kg/m2) | ||
| Mean ± SD | 23.24 ± 3.79 | 22.32 ± 3.23 |
| Median | 22.32 | 21.97 |
| Range | 15.23 – 51.84 | 15.94 – 38.71 |
| Initial BMI category (%) | ||
| Underweight (< 18.5) | 5.1 | 7.4 |
| Normal (18.5 to 24.9) | 73.3 | 77.8 |
| Overweight (25.0 to 29.9) | 16.9 | 11.1 |
| Obese (≥ 30.0) | 4.7 | 3.7 |
BMI = Body Mass Index. Study 1 conducted in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA from September, 2002 through May, 2004; Study 2 conducted in Providence, Rhode Island, USA from September 2004 through May, 2006.