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THE ROLE OF SOCIAL SUPPORT IN WEIGHT CHANGES DURING FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE

Coppock, Jackson (2013) THE ROLE OF SOCIAL SUPPORT IN WEIGHT CHANGES DURING FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Over 50% of college students are overweight or obese, and there is a high incidence of weight gain during the college years. Social support has been linked with weight loss and improvements in diet and exercise in the general population. As social support changes in college, there may be a relationship between social support and weight or weight related behaviors during freshman year of college. PURPOSE: This investigation aimed to explore the relationships between global or behavior-specific social support and BMI, exercise habits, and dietary habits in freshman college students. A secondary aim was to determine whether these relationships differed by gender. METHODS: Fifty male and 50 female college freshmen (BMI = 24.0  3.3 kg/m2) aged 18-20 completed questionnaires regarding pre-college height and weight, global, diet, and exercise-specific social support, exercise and dietary habits, and completed assessments of height, weight and body composition. RESULTS: Change in BMI over the first semester was not significantly associated with global, exercise-specific, or diet-specific social support. Friend support for healthy eating behaviors was significantly associated with current BMI ( = .29, p = .004). Exercise (min/week) was significantly associated with friend support for exercise ( = .35, p < .001). While no clear relationship between social support and dietary habits existed, global social support was associated with sweetened beverage consumption, snacking frequency, and alcohol consumption. In overweight and obese subjects, higher global social support was associated with lower increases in BMI over the first five months of freshman year (r = -.40, p = .027). Conclusions: Increasing social support for exercise and healthy eating behaviors may benefit the lifestyle behaviors of college freshmen, though longitudinal studies are required to determine causality. Moreover, relationships between social support and behaviors may be particularly interesting in overweight and obese individuals.

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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Coppock, Jacksonjhc20@pitt.eduJHC20
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee ChairJakicic, Johnjjakicic@pitt.eduJJAKICIC
Committee MemberLevine, Michele Dlevinem@upmc.eduMLEVINE
Committee MemberRickman, Amy Oarickman@pitt.eduARICKMAN
Committee MemberDavis, Kelliann Kkelliannd@gmail.com
Committee MemberGibbs, Bethany Bbbarone@pitt.eduBBARONE
Date: 30 August 2013
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 15 May 2013
Approval Date: 30 August 2013
Submission Date: 17 June 2013
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages: 136
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: School of Education > Health, Physical, Recreational Education
Degree: PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Doctoral Dissertation
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: Social Support Bodyweight Diet Exercise College Freshmen
Date Deposited: 30 Aug 2013 18:50
Last Modified: 19 Dec 2016 14:40
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/19040

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