Health Behavior Changes Associated with Weight Gain among First-Year International Students Studying at an American University

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
Read Online Read More Add to Saved list
  • Additional Information
    • Availability:
      Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
    • Peer Reviewed:
      Y
    • Source:
      10
    • Sponsoring Agency:
      National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) (USDA)
    • Contract Number:
      1012976
    • Education Level:
      Higher Education
      Postsecondary Education
    • Subject Terms:
      Health Behavior; Behavior Change; Body Weight; Human Body; Eating Habits; College Freshmen; Foreign Students; Anxiety; Sleep; Physical Activity Level; Gender Differences; Acculturation; Food; Foreign Countries; Body Composition
    • Subject Terms:
      Argentina; Brazil; China; El Salvador; Ghana; India; Norway; South Korea; United States
    • Accession Number:
      10.1080/07448481.2021.1891082
    • ISSN:
      0744-8481
      1940-3208
    • Abstract:
      Objectives: To characterize the health behaviors and outcomes of first-year international students (FYIS) studying in the U.S. Participants and methods: Three different cohorts of FYIS from a large midwestern university in the U.S. completed three laboratory visits between August and March. The study began in 2017 and ended in March 2020. Anthropometrics, acculturative stress, eating behaviors, sleep, physical activity, and eating habits were assessed. Results: Fifty-four students completed the study. Females had a significant increase in percent body fat (p = 0.036) and a decrease in sleep quality (p = 0.006) at the final visit vs. baseline, and uncontrolled (p = 0.006) and emotional (p < 0.001) eating behaviors were higher. FYIS who gained more than the median 1.2 kg over the study period experienced higher acculturative stress (p = 0.004) and a decline in sleep quality (p = 0.003). Conclusion: Reducing acculturative stress and improving sleep quality should be explored as interventions to protect against undesirable changes in adiposity among FYIS.
    • Abstract:
      As Provided
    • Publication Date:
      2023
    • Accession Number:
      EJ1377736