Are College Students Fat and Obese?

For any person that has ever been to a college on a visit, lived at a college, or even seen a college campus, it would not be surprising to learn that a large percentage of the college population is obese. A study was conducted in which around 800 total college students ranging in age from 18-25 were surveyed, their weight was taken, their blood pressure was measured, and they were also checked for early warning of heart disease and diabetes. Anybody curious yet to see what the percentages were? Well, a shocking half of the men surveyed were overweight or obese. The average male reported to eating around 2,700 calories a day. Also, 95 percent of these men reported eating too much sodium per day.

Again, over half of these men showed high blood pressure readings, which is a very early warning sign from unhealthy life and can be an indicator as to heart health. Women, you did a little better. Only about 30 percent of the women were found to be overweight or obese. Also, the women consumed around 1,800 calories a day, which is not nearly as far over as the men. However, around 70 percent of the female test group reported an overage in sodium intake per day, and only about 20 percent had the high blood pressure readings. Overall, about 43 percent of the people surveyed had a body mass index in the overweight or obese range, with 33 percent going to overweight, and 10 percent in the obesity category.

Why are college students this fat, and what can society do about it? Well, the first reason is laziness. College students sit around and play video games or study all the time. They could sit around and watch TV and movies, too. There is not much that college students want to do that involves a lot of physical activity. The exceptions are some sports and intramural activities. So, we can easily fix this. Don't drive to class, for one. Most classes can be reached on time on foot. This is a simple way to get in some exercise. Other ways include actually exercising. Go play some sports with some friends. Maybe you could even go to the gym and lift some weights. This is a really easy way to lose a little weight and stay healthy.