Fitness Is Declining In College Students

Most of the time when we think about diet, lifestyle, exercise, and obesity, we think about body weight and weight loss.  While these factors are an important component of being physically fit, we often don't give as much thought to how physically fit we are as a population.

A new obesity and wellness research study (free to download) was conducted to determine if the physical fitness of college students changed over time and, if so, how those changes effected measures of obesity like body mass index (BMI) and body fat.  Nutrition researchers analyzed the results of MicroFit tests from over 5,000 students attending a private Seventh-Day Adventist college where each student enrolled in a physical activity class was required to take the MicroFit test.  Information collected on body weight, body fat, muscle strength, aerobic fitness and more from 1996 to 2008 was analyzed.  Fitness was measured by estimating VO2max, which is a measure of the maximum oxygen uptake during a graded exercise and is considered to be one of the most accurate measures of physical fitness.

The results of this data analysis showed that:

• While there was some yearly fluctuation, physical fitness, as measured by VO2max, declined overall during the 13 years examined.
• Physical fitness declined at a faster rate for male college students (0.812 mL/kg/min) than female college students (0.414 mL/kg/min).
• During the 13 year study period, percent body fat increased in both males (0.513% per year) and females (0.654% per year).
• The proportion of male college students classified as having poor physical fitness increased dramatically, while the number of male students classified as excellent, fit, or fair declined steadily.  Similar, but less dramatic, changes were observed in college females.

Overall, this study showed that both male and female college students are apparently becoming less physically fit and gaining more body fat over time.  One of the most interesting aspects of this study is the study population.  Seventh-Day Adventists are a religious group that stresses a very healthy lifestyle that includes eating a healthy vegetarian diet and getting plenty of exercise.  It has been reported that their lifestyle choices have resulted in a lifespan that is typically about 10 years longer than the average American.  This is reflected in this new study by the fact that the average body mass index of the students was about 24, which falls within the accepted healthy range, while average body fat was only about 12% in male college students and 22% in female college students.

While it is not completely unexpected to see a decrease in physical fitness during the college years due to the college lifestyle of little sleep, skipping meals, too much snacking and too much fast foods, one has to wonder how rapidly physical fitness is declining in the general population where healthy diet and lifestyle habits are not as frequently stressed.  Finding ways to increase physical activity, improve eating habits, and improve overall physical fitness during the college years should be an important part of our fight to reduce obesity.

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