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Changes in weight and body composition across five years at university: A prospective observational study.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:The transition from high school to college or university has been shown to be a critical period for weight and fat gain. To date, no European data on weight and fat gain over the full trajectory of college or university are available. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate weight and fat gain among Belgian university students from freshman through senior year of university. METHODS:In this prospective observational study, a total of 340 university students were measured six times, i.e. at baseline (start of the first academic year) and at the start of the second semester of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth academic year. Objective measurements included body weight, height, body mass index (BMI), fat%, fat mass, fat free mass and waist circumference. Multilevel modelling was used to assess anthropometric changes over time according to sex. RESULTS:From freshman through senior year of university, individual weight changes ranged from -5.2 to +15.7kg, and respectively 77.4% and 69.3% of students showed increases in BMI and fat%. Stronger increases in weight and BMI were found for males (5.7kg; 1.6kg/m2; both p<0.001) than females (2.2kg; 0.8kg/m2; both p<0.001) over the 4.5 year measuring period. Similarly, waist circumference increased more in males (4.7cm; p<0.001) than in females (1.0cm; p<0.001). In contrast, females (2.5%; p<0.001) showed a higher increase in fat% than males (1.0%; p = 0.019). Across sexes, the highest weight and fat gains were found during the first semester and during the final year of university. CONCLUSIONS:Belgian university students gain a significant amount of body weight and body fat from freshman through senior year of university. Similar to the first semester, more pronounced increases in weight and fat were observed during the final year of university. Interventions aiming at preventing weight gain at university should not only focus on freshmen but also on senior students.

SUBMITTER: Deliens T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6853334 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Changes in weight and body composition across five years at university: A prospective observational study.

Deliens Tom T Deforche Benedicte B Chapelle Laurent L Clarys Peter P

PloS one 20191113 11

<h4>Objectives</h4>The transition from high school to college or university has been shown to be a critical period for weight and fat gain. To date, no European data on weight and fat gain over the full trajectory of college or university are available. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate weight and fat gain among Belgian university students from freshman through senior year of university.<h4>Methods</h4>In this prospective observational study, a total of 340 universit ...[more]

PMID: 31721793

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Project description:BackgroundObservational studies have consistently reported severe weight gains during the college years; information about the effect on body composition is scarce, however. Thus, the aim of the study was to determine the effect of exercise changes on body composition during 5 years at university.MethodsSixty-one randomly selected male and female dental (DES; 21 ± 3 years., 22 ± 2 kg/m(2)) and 53 sport (physical education) students (SPS; 20 ± 2 years., 22 ± 3 kg/m(2)) were accompanied over their 5-year study program. Body mass and body composition as determined via Dual-Energy x-ray-absorptiometry (DXA) at baseline and follow-up were selected as primary study endpoints. Confounding parameters (i.e., nutritional intake, diseases, medication) that may affect study endpoints were determined every two years. Endpoints were log-transformed to stabilize variance and achieve normal distributed values. Paired t-tests and unpaired Welch-t-tests were used to check intra and inter-group differences.ResultsExercise volume decreased significantly by 33% (p < .001) in the DES and increased significantly (p < .001) in the SPS group. Both cohorts comparably (p = .214) gained body mass (SPS: 1.9%, 95%-CI: 0.3-3.5%, p = .019 vs. DES: 3.4%, 1.4-5.5%, p = .001). However, the increase in the SPS group can be completely attributed to changes in LBM (2.3%, 1.1-3.5%, p < 0.001) with no changes of total fat mass (0.6%, -5.0-6.5%, p = 0.823), while DES gained total FM and LBM in a proportion of 2:1. Corresponding changes were determined for appendicular skeletal muscle mass and abdominal body-fat. Maximum aerobic capacity increased (p = .076) in the SPS (1.6%, -0.2-3.3%) and significantly decreased (p = .004) in the DES (-3.3%, -5.4 to -1.2%). Group differences were significant (p < .001). With respect to nutritional intake or physical activity, no relevant changes or group differences were observed.ConclusionWe conclude that the most deleterious effect on fatness and fitness in young college students was the pronounced decreases in exercise volume and particularly exercise intensity.Trial registrationNCT00521235; "Effect of Different Working Conditions on Risk Factors in Dentists Versus Trainers. A Combined Cross sectional and Longitudinal Trial with Student and Senior Employees."; August 24, 2007.

Project description:BackgroundSmart scales are increasingly used at home by patients to monitor their body weight and body composition, but scale accuracy has not often been documented.ObjectiveThe goal of the research was to determine the accuracy of 3 commercially available smart scales for weight and body composition compared with dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) as the gold standard.MethodsWe designed a cross-sectional study in consecutive patients evaluated for DEXA in a physiology unit in a tertiary hospital in France. There were no exclusion criteria except patient declining to participate. Patients were weighed with one smart scale immediately after DEXA. Three scales were compared (scale 1: Body Partner [Téfal], scale 2: DietPack [Terraillon], and scale 3: Body Cardio [Nokia Withings]). We determined absolute error between the gold standard values obtained from DEXA and the smart scales for body mass, fat mass, and lean mass.ResultsThe sample for analysis included 53, 52, and 48 patients for each of the 3 tested smart scales, respectively. The median absolute error for body weight was 0.3 kg (interquartile range [IQR] -0.1, 0.7), 0 kg (IQR -0.4, 0.3), and 0.25 kg (IQR -0.10, 0.52), respectively. For fat mass, absolute errors were -2.2 kg (IQR -5.8, 1.3), -4.4 kg (IQR -6.6, 0), and -3.7 kg (IQR -8.0, 0.28), respectively. For muscular mass, absolute errors were -2.2 kg (IQR -5.8, 1.3), -4.4 kg (IQR -6.6, 0), and -3.65 kg (IQR -8.03, 0.28), respectively. Factors associated with fat mass measurement error were weight for scales 1 and 2 (P=.03 and P<.001, respectively), BMI for scales 1 and 2 (P=.034 and P<.001, respectively), body fat for scale 1 (P<.001), and muscular and bone mass for scale 2 (P<.001 for both). Factors associated with muscular mass error were weight and BMI for scale 1 (P<.001 and P=.004, respectively), body fat for scales 1 and 2 (P<.001 for both), and muscular and bone mass for scale 2 (P<.001 and P=.002, respectively).ConclusionsSmart scales are not accurate for body composition and should not replace DEXA in patient care.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03803098; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03803098.

Project description:BackgroundThere is an emerging viewpoint that change in body weight is not sufficiently sensitive to promptly identify clinically meaningful change in body composition, such as skeletal muscle depletion.ObjectivesWe aimed to determine whether body weight stability is associated with skeletal muscle depletion and whether skeletal muscle depletion is prognostic of death independently of change in body weight.MethodsThis retrospective cohort included 1921 patients with stage I-III colorectal cancer. Computed tomography (CT)-based skeletal muscle characteristics and body weight were measured at diagnosis and after a mean 15.0-mo follow-up. Body weight stability was defined as weight change less than ±5% during follow-up. Sarcopenia and myosteatosis were defined using established thresholds for patients with cancer. Multivariable-adjusted logistic and flexible parametric proportional hazards survival models were used to quantify statistical associations.ResultsAt follow-up, 1026 (53.3%) patients were weight stable. Among patients with weight stability, incident sarcopenia and myosteatosis occurred in 8.5% (95% CI: 6.3%, 10.6%) and 13.5% (95% CI: 11.1%, 15.9%), respectively. Men were more likely to be weight stable than were women (56.7% compared with 49.9%; P = 0.04). Weight-stable men were less likely to develop incident sarcopenia (5.4% compared with 15.4%; P = 0.003) and myosteatosis (9.3% compared with 20.8%; P = 0.001) than weight-stable women. Among all patients, the development of incident sarcopenia (HR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.91) and of myosteatosis (HR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.90) were associated with a higher risk of death, independently of change in body weight. Patient sex did not modify the relation between skeletal muscle depletion and death.ConclusionsBody weight stability masks clinically meaningful skeletal muscle depletion. Body composition quantified using clinically acquired CT images may provide a vital sign to identify patients at increased risk of death. These data may inform the design of future cachexia trials.

Project description:ObjectivesWhile bidirectional relationships exist between body weight and physical activity, direction of causality remains uncertain and previous studies have been limited by self-reported activity or weight and small sample size. We investigated the prospective relationships between weight and physical activity.DesignObservational analysis of data from the Nateglinide And Valsartan in Impaired Glucose Tolerance Outcomes Research (NAVIGATOR) study, a double-blinded randomised clinical trial of nateglinide and valsartan, respectively.SettingMultinational study of 9306 participants.ParticipantsParticipants with biochemically confirmed impaired glucose tolerance had annual measurements of both weight and step count using research grade pedometers, worn for 7 days consecutively. Along with randomisation to valsartan or placebo plus nateglinide or placebo, participants took part in a lifestyle modification programme.Outcome measuresLongitudinal regression using weight as response value and physical activity as predictor value was conducted, adjusted for baseline covariates. Analysis was then repeated with physical activity as response value and weight as predictor value. Only participants with a response value preceded by at least three annual response values were included.ResultsAdequate data were available for 2811 (30%) of NAVIGATOR participants. Previous weight (χ(2)=16.8; p<0.0001), but not change in weight (χ(2)=0.1; p=0.71) was inversely associated with subsequent step count, indicating lower subsequent levels of physical activity in heavier individuals. Change in step count (χ(2)=5.9; p=0.02) but not previous step count (χ(2)=0.9; p=0.34) was inversely associated with subsequent weight. However, in the context of trajectories already established for weight (χ(2) for previous weight measurements 747.3; p<0.0001) and physical activity (χ(2) for previous step count 432.6; p<0.0001), these effects were of limited clinical importance.ConclusionsWhile a prospective bidirectional relationship was observed between weight and physical activity, the magnitude of any effect was very small in the context of natural trajectories already established for these variables.Trial registration numberNCT00097786.

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Changes in weight and body composition across five years at university: A prospective observational study.

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Changes in weight and body composition across five years at university: A prospective observational study.

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