Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
CollegeStudents
GroupNeedsAssessment
UniversityofRhodeIsland,
AdvancedInterdisciplinaryHealthStudies
111015
Authors
BeatriceAke
UniversityofRhodeIsland,Beatrice_ake23@my.uri.edu
SamanthaAnderson
UniversityofRhodeIsland,Sanderson1@my.uri.edu
GenesisGarcia
UniversityofRhodeIsland,Genesis_Garcia@my.uri.edu
PaigeTonra
UniversityofRhodeIsland,PaigeTonra@gmail.com
DanielleWoods
UniversityofRhodeIsland,Danielle_Woods@uri.edu
Abstract
Obesity:Lifestyle,Diet,andStressinCollegeStudentsattheUniversityofRhode
Island
1
1
1
1
1
BAke
,SAnderson
,GGarcia
,PTonra
,andDMWoods
1
DepartmentofHealthStudiesattheUniversityofRhodeIsland
Objective:
Toexamineandtoimplementfutureinterventionsforthisatthishealthrelatedrisk
community.
Participants:
StudentsfromtheUniversityofRhodeIsland(n=1,003)recruitedforawebbased
behavioralsurveyinfallof2013.
Methods:
SecondaryDataanalysisfromavalidatedsurveytakenbyUniversityofRhodeIsland
studentsfromthe2013fallsemester.Thesurveyusedduringthisreportwastakenfromfrom
the20132014BehaviorSurvey.Thesurveycontains86questionsaboutlifestylehabits,
behaviors,andselfevaluations.QuestionsweretakenfromtheBehavioralRiskSurveillance
SystemmicromanagedbytheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.
Results:
Livingoncampus,ratherthanlivingoffcampus,waspositivelycorrelatedwith
studentsweightstatus,
X2
(2,N=976)=7.48,P=.028
.
Conclusions:
Thelikelihoodofbecomingoverweightincreasesbecomesalotmoreofa
significantrisktostudentsthatliveoncampusthanoffcampus.Throughourprimarydatawe
haveconcludedthatthemosttangibleresearchstatementtoprovideaninterventionis,
Students
thatliveoncampusaremorelikelytobeoverweight.
TABLEOFCONTENTS
Page
COVERPAGE...1
ABSTRACT...2
TABLEOFCONTENTS...3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS&DEDICATION.....4
INTRODUCTION.5
PurposeStatement.....6
CollapsedDataTable........68
SociodemographicTable.......8
ETHICALCONSIDERATIONS......9
ANALYSIS1:SmokerStudy..........10
ANALYSIS2:MentalHealthStudy........12
ANALYSIS3:HousingStudy.....13
ANALYSIS4:GenderStudy..........14
ANALYSIS5:DietStudy...........15
ANALYSIS6:ExerciseStudy........17
ANALYSIS7:FruitIntakeStudy.......18
ANALYSIS8:VegetableIntakeStudy...19
ANALYSIS9:ClassStandingStudy,DietBased......20
ANALYSIS10:ClassStandingStudy,WeightBased........21
LIMITATIONS&STRENGTHS............22
CONCLUSION&FUTUREINTERVENTIONS...........23
REFERENCES.....2531
Acknowledgement&Dedication
WewouldliketoexpressthedeepestappreciationbyacknowledgingtheUniversityof
RhodeIslandbecausewithoutprovidinguswithoursecondarydatafromthe20132014Health
BehaviorSurveythisallwouldhavenotbeenpossible.TheUniversity'svisionstatement
includes,tobethemostcaring,respectful,andsoughtafterhealthcareresourceforourdiverse
studentpopulationandaleaderincollegehealth(Health2013).Sowewouldliketothankthe
UniversityofRhodeIslandforpermissiontoincludethissecondarydatainourresearch.
Inaddition,ourutmostgratitudegoestotheSPSSpredictiveanalyticssoftware.Through
thissoftwareweusedourdatatopredictwiththeutmostconfidencefactorsthatcontributetoour
healthissue.Asagroupweareabletomakesmarterdecisionsforfutureinterventions.This
softwarehashelpedusaddress,theentireanalyticalprocess,fromplanning,todatacollection,
toanalysis,andreporting,sowecansolveorimprovetheseriskybehaviors(IBM2012).
Moreover,wehumblydedicatethiscasestudytotheenhancementofHealthStudiesin
makingthisNeedsAssessment.
Ourgroupaimstodevelopanassessmentthatisaworthyreferenceforouruniversity
andotheruniversitiesalike.Thisneedsassessmentshouldbeabletoprovidedataforfuture
researchersandinterventionaliststhatwouldliketodofurtherstudiesinthisareaassessed.
Intheend,wededicatethisneedsassessmenttothestudentsattheUniversityofRhode
Islandthatactivelyparticipatedinthissurveywhoseinformation/participationhelpeduswith
obtainingoursecondarydataanddemonstrateourriskassessmentbasedskills.
Andmostofall,abigthankyoutoProfessorHollandoftheUniversityofRhodeIsland,who
introducedustoandguidedusthroughthisstatisticaldataanalysisassignmentstepbystep
whichwillhavealastingeffect.
Group5
Introduction&PurposeStatement
ObesityisbecomingawidespreadepidemicintheUnitedStates.Althoughobesityisa
globalproblem,theUnitedStatesisabout10yearsaheadintermsofobesitycomparedto
Europe(Haslam2006).Thisdiseaseisapreventablecondition,thatkillsmillionsofpeopleand
costsbillionsinhealthcaredollars.Obesityisoneofthemajorcausesofseriouschronic
diseasessuchas,diabetesandhypertension(Haslam2006).
Thereareanumberoffactorsthatcontributetoapersonbeingobese,fromgeneticsto
environment.Factorsthatinvolvecollegestudentswouldbestress,lifestylebehavior,living
on/offcampus,accesstohealthyfoods,andlackofphysicalactivityandtime.
Findingsfroma
nationalsurveyconductedin2005indicatedthat3outofevery10collegestudentsareeither
2
2
overweight(bodymassindex[BMI]25.029.9kg/m
)orobese(BMI30.0kg/m
).
Behaviorally,9of10studentseatfewerthanfiveservingsoffruitsandvegetablesperday,and
nearly6of10studentsparticipatefewerthan3daysperweekinvigorousintensity(20minutes
ormore)ormoderateintensity(30minutesormore)physicalactivity(ACHA2006).
Adolescentswhoareoverweightorobeseareatagreaterriskofphysicalandmental
healthproblemsbothduringadolescenceandsubsequentadulthood(Herman2009Soric2013).
TheWorldHealthOrganizationhasidentifiedthepreventionandtreatmentofeatingdisorders
amongyoungpeople(Janout2004).
Variousstudiesreportthatthefrequencyandprevalenceof
eatingdisordersishighestamongadolescentgirlsandyoungwomen(Kaye2008Moreno2006).
Seriousconditionsthatcanbepreventedareobesity,heartdisease,type2diabetes,andhigh
bloodpressure.Amongchildrenandadolescents,theprevalenceofobesityishighestamong
olderandMexicanAmericanchildrenandnonHispanicAfricanAmericanfemales(Ogden
2010).
ThechallengesofobesityhavebeenrecognizedbyHealthyPeople2020.Amongstthe
currentnutritionalandweightgoalsofHealthyPeople2020aretoincreasetheproportionof
adultswhoareatahealthyweight,reducetheriskofadultswhoareobese,preventinappropriate
weightgaininyouthandadults,andincreasethecontributionoftotalvegetablesandfruittothe
diet.Thephysicalactivitygoalsincludeincreasingtheproportionofadultswhoperformaerobic
andmusclestrengtheningactivitieson2ormoredaysaweek(HealthyPeople).
Thepurposeofthisreportisto
examineandtobetterunderstandthehealthbehaviorsand
lifestylesofUniversityofRhodeIslandstudentsandidentifyriskbehaviorstohelpguidefuture
researchandinterventions.
Table1:CollapsedDataTable
Questions#s Questions
onSurvey
Response
18
Howmanytimesin
thepast12months
haveyoufelt
moderatelyor
severelydepressed?
0times
1time
2or3times
4or5times
6to10times
11ormoretimes
55
Howdoyoudescribe
yourbody?
Veryunderweight
Slightly
underweight
Abouttheright
weight
RecodedData
Yes,Depressed
No,Hasn'tbeen
Depressed
Underweight
Normal
Overweight
Slightlyoverweight
VeryOverweight
23
Howoldwereyou
whenyoufirststarted
smokingcigarettes
regularly?
Ihavenever
smokedcigarettes
regularly
12yearsoryounger
13or14yearsold
15or16yearsold
17or18yearsold
19or20yearsold
21to24yearsold
25yearsoldor
older
NeverSmoked
StartedSmoking16years
OldorLess
StartedSmoking17years
OldorOlder
Wherewillyoube
livingthissemester?
Dormitory
Fraternity/Sorority
House
OtherCollege
Housing
OffCampus
Parent/Guardian
Home
OnCampus
OffCampus
62
Yesterday,Howmany
timesdidyoueata
saladorgreen
vegetable?
0Times
1Time
2Times
3ormore
UnderRecommended
Amount
RecommendedAmount
64
Doyoueata
vegetariandiet?
Never
Seldom
Sometimes
Always
Never
1day
2day
3days
4days
5days
6days
7days
02days
66
Onhowmanyofthe
past7daysdidyou
exerciseorparticipate
insportactivitiesfor
atleast20minutes
Seldom
Sometimes
Always
37days
61
Yesterday,howmany
timesdidyoueata
pieceoffruitordrink
fruitjuice?
0times
1time
2times
3times
UnderRecommended
Amount
RecommendedAmount
Whatisyourclass
standing?
EnteringFreshman
Underclassmen
Upperclassmen
Freshman
Sophomores
Juniors
Seniors
GradStudent
57
57
Haveyoueverdieted
orexercisedtolossor
gainweight?
Yes
Haveyoueverdieted
orexercisedtolossor
gainweight?
Yes
Yes,Dieted
No,NotDieted
No
Yes,WeightConscious
No,NotWeight
Conscious
No
Table1:
Illustratesthecollapseddatainformationourgrouphasobtainedthroughstatisticaldata
analysisbyusingchisquaredistributiontotestourrecodeddata.ThisdatawastakenfromURI
HealthBehaviorSurveyandrecodedinIBMSPSSSoftware.
SociodemographicInformation
Table2:SociodemographicSurveyTable
SocioDemographic
Gender
N=1003
N%
Male
369
36.8%
Female
626
62.4%
AgeinYears
Information
Youngerthan17
77
7.7%
1819YearsOld
793
79.1%
2022YearsOld
80
8%
Olderthan23
51
5.1%
EnteringFreshman
384
38.3%
Freshman
466
46.5%
Sophomore
40
4%
Junior
33
3.3%
Senior
0.9%
62
6.2%
ClassStanding
GradStudent
Yes
984
98.1%
No
11
1.1%
FullTimeStudent
Ethnicity
White
871
86.8%
Black
33
3.3%
Hispanic
48
4.8%
Asian
33
3.3%
Indian
0.1%
Table2:
UsingSPSSsoftware,frequencieswererunongender,ethnicity,classstandingand
age.ThisdatawastakenfromtheURIHealthBehaviorSurveygiventothestudents.
EthicalConsiderations
Essentially,acollectivepartnershipwasformedbetweentheresearchersofthisneeds
assessmentandtheHealthServicesDepartmentattheUniversityofRhodeIsland.Thevisionfor
theHealthServicesDepartmentincludes:Providecomprehensiveprimaryhealthcareand
preventionserviceswithinthecontextof:patient'sneedsandexpectations,patientsatisfaction,
easyaccess,highestquality,andcosteffectiveness.Supportthemissionandgoalsofthe
Universitythrough:academicpartnershipsandresearch.Respectthedignityandprivacyofthe
individualbyexercising:compassion,kindness,patience,andsensitivitytodiversity.Createan
environmentconducivetoemployee'sprofessionalgrowthandpersonalfulfillment.Succeed
throughgoodcommunicationsandclearlydefinedpolicies.Teachandpromotehealthylifestyles
anddiseaseprevention.Maintainnationalaccreditation.Focusonthefuture.
9
AllresearcherswereCITItrainedapprovedbyanindependentethicscommittee,
institutionalreviewboard(IRB)bySeptember21,2015beforeresearchcommenced.TheIRBs
missionisto,upholdthehigheststandardsintheethicalconductofresearch,includingthe
protectionofhumanparticipants,whileenablingitsfaculty,staffandstudentstoconduct
researchinatimelyandefficientmanner.(IBM2012).
Thedatautilizedbythisreportcamefromthe20132014HealthBehaviorSurvey.
Participantsforthisstudywerestudents,includingfreshmen,sophomores,juniors,seniors,grad
studentsandenteringfreshman,fromthe2013fallsemesteratURI.Participantswererandomly
selectedfromtheirspecificUniversityofRhodeIslandintroductorycourses,URI101.The
questionsinthissurveyweretakenfromtheBehavioralRiskFactorSurveillanceSystem
(BRFSS).Contributorstothesurveyselfreported,age,race,ethnicity,andotherinformation
throughanonlinesurveyprogramanonymously.Studentsreceivedanemailcontainingthelink
tothesurveyandwereaskedtocompleteitbyacertaindate.
Analysis1:DanielleWoods
SmokingandWeightStatusClassification(SmokerStudy)
ThepopulationofinterestforthisstudywasUniversityofRhodeIslandstudents
(N=1,003)whoarebecomingoverweightwithprevalentriskbehaviorsweseektoimprove.The
DepartmentofHealthServicesprovidedinformationfromthis,TheBehavioralRiskFactor
Survey(BRFSS),arandomcrosssectionalsurveytoidentifyriskybehaviorsthatmayneeda
futureinterventionimplemented.Thissurveycontainedeightysixbehavioralmultiplechoice
surveyquestionsstudentshadtoanswerthroughthiswebbasedsurvey.Thefirstfiveresponses
lookedtotheseuniversitystudentstoselfidentifytheirindividualsociodemographics(See
Table2:
SociodemographicSurveyTable
).
Theareasoffocusincludelifestylebehaviors,
tobaccouse,mentalhealth,diet,housingstatus,gender,exercisehabits,andclassstanding.
10
Thedatathatwecollectedfromthesesurveyendedupbeingrecodedbyeachresearcher
inSPSSsoftwaretoproduceachisquaretestthatpredictswithconfidencefutureresultsthat
willmostlikelyhappensothatasagroupwecanmakesmarterdecisionsforfutureintervention.
Afterachisquaretestwasconductedforeachofourresultsthatwererecodedresearchers
individuallyassessedwhethereachoftheirresultingdatabetweentwooftheirvariables
concludedsignificance(P<0.05).
Thefirstresearchstatementconstructed,Studentswhohavestartedsmoking16yearsof
ageorlessaremorelikelytobeoverweight.Toaddressthisriskbehaviorthetwovariablesthat
weresubjecttoachisquaretestwereperformedbycomparingdatafromQuestions23and
Question55(seeTable1,attached).
InthisBRFSSsurvey973studentsactivelyparticipatedintwosurveyquestionsrelated
todepressionandweightstatus.Thechisquaretestfoundthatourresearchstatementwasnot
statisticallysignificant(p=.540)andthatstudentswhohavestartedsmoking16yearsofageor
lessarelikelytobeoverweightby32.0%withann=8.Incomparison,only42.1%(n=8)of
studentsstartedsmokingwhentheywere17yearsoldorolderareoverweight.Moreover,27.3%
(n=255)aroverweightandhaveneversmokedintheirentirelives.
X2=(4,N=978)=3.10,
p=.540
.SeeFigures1&2belowforadditionalinformation.
Figure1.1:
Studentdepression
statusandweightstatus,n=978.
Thisgraphdescribesthedistribution
ofnontobaccoandtobaccousers
ofURIstudentsinrelationtotheir
weightstatuses.
11
Figure1.2:
Student
depressionstatusand
weightstatus,n=978.This
graphdescribesthepercent
distributionoftobaccousers
amongURIstudentsin
relationtotheirweight
statuses.
Analysis2:DanielleWoods
DepressionandWeightStatusClassification(MentalHealthStudy)
Afterachisquaretestwasconductedforeachofourresultsthatwererecoded.
Researchersindividuallyassessedwhethereachoftheirresultingdatabetweentwooftheir
variablesconcludedsignificance(P<0.05).
Thesecondresearchstatementgeneratedwas,Studentswhohavebecomeseverelyor
moderatelydepressedinthepast12months,4ormoretimesaremorelikelytobecomeobese.
Toimprovethisriskbehaviorthetwovariablesthatweresubjecttoachisquaretestperformed
bycomparingdatafromQuestions18,independentvariable,andQuestion55,dependent
12
variable.Theindependentvariablearestudentswhoaredepressed,whilethedependentvariable
istheweightstatusofthestudents(seeTable1,attached).
InthisBRFSSsurvey973studentsactivelyparticipatedintwosurveyquestionsrelated
todepressionandweightstatus.Thechisquaretestfoundthatourresearchstatementwas
statisticallysignificant(p=.000)thatstudentswhohavebecomeseverelyormoderately
depressedinthepast12months,4ormoretimes,aremorelikelytobecomeobese(54.5%,
n=60).Incomparison,only10%(n=11)of
studentsareunderweight.
X2=(2,N=973)
=47.82,p=.000
.SeeFigure3for
additionalinformation.
Figure2.1:
Distributionamongdepressed
studentsvs.nondepressedstudents,
N=973.Thisgraphdescribesthetotal
numberofoverweight,normal,and
underweightstudentsthateitherhaveor
havenotbeendepressedinthepast12
months.
Analysis3:PaigeTonra
Studentsthatliveoncampusaremorelikelytobeoverweight.
ThisChisquareanalysiswasusedtodetermineifwherethestudentlivesaffectstheir
weightstatus.Theindependentvariableinthishypothesisiswherethestudentlive(onoroff
campus)andthedependentvariableisweight.Thedatawascollapsedtomakedorm,fraternity
orsororityandothercollegehousingtobeconsideredlivingoncampus.Havinganoffcampus
houseorlivingwithaparentorguardianisconsideredtobelivingoffcampus.Thestatistics
13
showthatofthoseN=829studentsthatansweredtolivingoncampus,63%ofthemconsider
themselvestobeatnormalweight.OftheN=147studentsthatrespondedtolivingoffcampus,
64%consideredthemselvestohaveanormalweight.26%ofstudentsthatliveoncampus
considerthemselvestobeoverweight,incomparisontothosethatliveoffcampuswitharateof
32%.AccordingtotheNationalHealthInstitutionaBMIof<18.5isconsideredunderweight,
normalweightBMI=18.524.9,andoverweightBMI=2529.9.Resultsofthisanalysisis
statisticallysignificant.Whichmeansthatthereisasignificantdifferenceinweightdepending
2
onwherethestudentlives.X
(2,
N=976)=7.48,P=.028.
Figure3
Showspercentageof
studentswhoareunderweight,
normalweightandoverweight
accordingtowheretheylive.(N=
947)
Analysis4:PaigeTonra
Studentsthatliveoffcampuseatmorevegetables.
Thesecondchisquaretestwastodetermineifthosewholiveoffcampusweremore
likelytoeattherecommendedamountofvegetables.Theindependentvariablewaswherethe
studentslived(onoroffcampus)andthedependentvariableisifthestudentseatthe
recommendedamountofvegetablesperday.ThestatisticsshowthatwithN=146,90%of
studentsthatliveoffcampusdonotmeettherecommendeddailyvegetableintakeof2ormorea
day.Only10%ofstudentsthatliveoffcampuseattherecommendedamountdaily.Thisdata
alsoshowsthatN=846,studentswholiveoncampusonly9%eattherecommendedamount.
Resultsofthisanalysisshowthatthedataisnotsignificantwhichmeansthatstudentswholive
14
2
offcampusandoncampusdonotmeetthedailyrecommendedamountofvegetables.X
(1,N=
971)=.150,P=.698.
Figure4.
Showstheamountofvegetablesconsumedeachdaydependingonwherethestudent
lives.Theyareclassifiedintotwogroups,thosewhomeettherecommendedamountperdayand
thosewhodonot.
Analysis5:SamanthaAnderson
Studentswhoexercisearelesslikelytobeoverweight(Q57and66).
ThepopulationofinterestforthisanalysiswerestudentsattheUniversityofRhode
Island(Table2.)whocompletedanonlinesurvey(N=1003).Thehypothesis1statesthat
studentswhoexercisearelesslikelytobeoverweight.Questions57and66wereanalyzedto
answerthehypothesis.Question57asks,
haveyoueverdietedorexercisedtoloseweightorto
keepfromgainingweight?
Theanswerswereyesandno.Theywererecodedto,weight
consciousandnotweightconscious.Question66asks,
onhowmanyofthepast7daysdidyou
doexerciseorparticipateinsportactivitiesforatleast20minutes?
AccordingtotheAmerican
HeartAssociation(AHA),atleast3daysofphysicalactivityaweekisrecommendedforoverall
cardiovascularhealthandforloweringbloodpressureandcholesterol.Theseanswerswere
15
recodedinto02daysand37daystoreflecttherecommendationsofAHAwith<02days
beingconsideredinadequateexercise.
TheChisquareanalysiswasdonetoshowtheprevalencebetweenstudentswhodietto
loseweight(weightconscious)andtheamountofdaysaweektheyexercise.Figure5showsthat
thereisagreaterproportionofstudentswhoexerciseweeklyandmeetthecriteriaforthe
recommendedamountofphysicalactivityanddiet.Outofthetotalnumberofvalidanswers,
N=972,34.8%ofthestudentsareweightconsciousandworkout37daysaweekcomparedto
31.6%studentswhoworkout02days.Outofstudentswhoarenotweightconscious,18.4%
2
exercise37daysand15.0%exercise02days.Thiswasnotstatisticallysignificant,X
,(7,
N=972)=11.041,P=<1.137.
Figure5:
Lengthofphysicalactivityperweekdividedbyintenttoloseweightamongststudents
attheUniversityofRhodeIsland(N=972).
16
Analysis6:SamanthaAnderson
Studentswhoarevegetarianaremoreweightconsciousandlesslikelytobecome
overweight(Q57and66).
Analysis6statesthatstudentswhoarevegetarianaremoreweightconsciousandless
likelytobecomeoverweight.Questions57and64wereusedtoanalyzethishypothesis.
Question57waspreviouslydiscussed.Question64reads,
doyoueatavegetariandiet?
The
responseswere
1.Never
,
2.Seldom,3.Sometimes,4.Often,5.Always
.Thesewererecodedinto
neverandsometimes/alwaystogivecategoriescomparingnonvegetariandiettoatleastsome
vegetariandiet.Thechisquareanalysiswasdonetoshowthatstudentswhoeatavegetarian
dietaremoreweightconscious,therefore,lesslikelytobeoverweight.Figure6showsthatbeing
avegetariandoesntnecessarilycorrelatewithbeingweightconsciousbecausepeoplewhoare
notvegetarianarejustaslikelytobeweightconscious.Therefore,therewasstatistical
2
significance,X
(4,N=973)=37.201,P=<0.0001.
Figure6:
Showstheproportionofstudents(N=973)atUniversityofRhodeIslandwhoeata
vegetariandietandareweightconscious/dietorexercisetoloseweight.
17
Analysis7:GenesisGarcia
Studentswhoconsumedtherecommendedamountoffruitsarelesslikelytobecomeobese.
ThepopulationofinterestforthisanalysiswerestudentsatUniversityofRhodeIslandwho
completedasurvey(N=1003).Questions57and61wereanalyzedtoanswertheresearch
statement.Question57asks,
haveyoueverdietedorexercisedtoloseweightortokeepfrom
gainingweight?
Theanswerswereyesandno.Theywererecodedto,weightconsciousandnot
weightconscious.Question61asks,
yesterdayhowmanytimesdidyoueatapieceoffruitor
drinkfruitjuice?
Theanswerswere,
1.zerotimes,2.onetime,3.twotimes,and4.threetimes.
AccordingtotheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture,(MyPlate),therecommendeddaily
amountsoffruitsare2to3cupsaday.Theseanswerswererecodedinto01times(not
meetingrecommendations)and23times(meetingrecommendations).Foradditional
informationviewfigure7.
Chisquare1:
Chisquareisthestatisticaltestthattestsfortheexistenceofarelationshipbetweentwo
variables(independentvariableanddependentvariable).Theindependentvariablewasservings
offruitsadayandthedependentvariablewasweight.ThestatisticsshowthatofthoseN=972
(96.9%)studentsthatresponded,59.9%ofthemmetthedailyfruitrecommendation.Wecan
concludethatthereisnosignificantrelationshipfoundbetweenintakeoffruitsandweight.X2(3,
N=972)=4.965,P=.174.
18
Figure7.
ChartshowsthestudentsofUniversityofRhodeIsland(N=972)whometthe
recommendationamountandthosethatdidnotmeettherecommendationamount.
Analysis8:GenesisGarcia
Studentswhoeattherecommendedamountofvegetablearelesslikelytobecomeobese.
Questions57and62wereusedtoanalyzethisstatement.Question57wasdiscussedinthe
hypothesesprior.Question62asks,
yesterdayhowmanytimesdidyoueatgreensalador
vegetables?
Theanswerswere
1.zerotimes,2.onetimes,3.twotimes,and4.threetimes.
AccordingtotheUnitesStatesDepartmentofAgriculture,(MyPlate),therecommendeddaily
amountsofvegetablesis2to3cupsaday.Theseanswerswererecodedinto01times(not
meetingrecommendations)and23times(meetingrecommendations).Foradditional
information,viewfigure8.
Chisquare2:
Chisquareisthestatisticaltestthattestsfortheexistenceofarelationshipbetweentwo
variables(independentvariableanddependentvariable).Theindependentvariablewasservings
ofvegetablesadayandthedependentvariablewasweight.Thestatisticsshowthatofthose
N=970(96.7%)studentsthatresponded,29.2%ofthemmetthedailyvegetables
recommendation.Weconcludethatthereisnosignificantrelationshipfoundbetweenvegetables
andweight.X2(3,N=970)=5.749,P=.125
19
Figure8.
ChartrecordedstudentsoftheUniversityofRhodeIsland(N=970)whoanswered
yesornotodietingandwhomettherecommendationsandwhodidnot.
Analysis9:BeatriceAke
Underclassmanaremorelikelytomaintaintheirweightthanupperclassman.
Studiesshowthatthegreatestincreaseinobesityandoverweightisduringtheagesof
eighteenandtwentynine,whichformanyareduringtheircollegeyears(Racette,2008).There
hasalsobeengreatphenomenonaboutthefamous
freshmenfifteen
.Butwhataboutsenioryear?
Theyearwheremanyarebusybalancinginternships,job,school,extracurricularactivities,and
homework.Someoftheirbestoptionsareaquicklunchordinnerfromfastfoodchainsor
microwavableproductsduetolackoftime.Withourtwostatements
Underclassmanaremore
likelytomaintaintheirweightthanupperclassmanand2.Underclassmanhavebettereating
habitsthanupperclassman.
Wewantedtochallengethisimageofthe
freshmanfifteen
.
Underclassmanaremorelikelytomaintaintheirweightthanupperclassman
derived
fromtwoquestioninthesurveygiventostudents.Question#3whichwas
whatisyourclass
standing?
andQuestion#55
howwouldyoudescribeyourbody?
Weredecoded(usetable1for
reference)andinsertedintoSPSStoconfigureachisquareandproduceourpvalue.
Figure9representsourresultsafterwedecodedandproducednewvalues.Ourresponse
rateforthisparticularhypothesiswasN=972.Outofthe972respondents89.5%ofthemwere
underclassmanandonly10.5%wereupperclassman.Comparedtotheupperclassmanthe
proportionofunderclassmanthatstatedtheyconsideredthemselvesoverweightwas24%,Inthe
caseofupperclassmantheproportionofoverweightindividualswas3.5%.Throughour
ChiSquarewewereabletoconcludethatourresearchstatementisnotstatisticallysignificant
2
duetoourpvaluebeinggreaterthan.05.X
(20,N=972)=21.6P=.361
20
Figure9:
Chartdescribesthe
correlationbetweenURIs
students(N972)weight
statusesandtheirclass
standing.
Analysis10:BeatriceAke
Underclassmanhavebettereatinghabitsthanupperclassman.
ForthelastAnalysiswelookatwhether
underclassmanhavebettereatinghabitsthan
upperclassmen.
WehavealsocategorizedourdatajustasanalysisninebyusingSPSS.Wehave
takentheoldvaluesofbothquestionsthatderivedourresearchquestionandsimplifiedthedata.
Againweusedquestion#3fromtheHealthBehaviorSurveysinceourresearchquestionisonce
againlookingatthecorrelationbetweenclassstandinganddiet.Forourindependentvariable,
whichisquestion#57.Whichaskedstudentsiftheyeverdietedtogainorloseweight.
Forouranalysis10outofthetotalpopulationofN=1003wehad970studentswhom
respondedtoourspecificquestions.Thefrequencyofunderclassmanwhomrespondedwas867
andonly103werefromupperclassmen.57.9%oftheunderclassmanstatedthattheyhavedieted
toeithergainorlossweight.Incomparisononly8.5%ofupperclassmanrevealedthattheyhave
dieted,Throughourchisquarewewereabletogetapvalueof.031.Sinceoursignificantvalue
is.031,whichislessthan.05,wecanconcludethatthereisasignificantrelationshipbetween
2
classstandingandeatinghabits.X
(5,N=970)=12,2,P=.031
21
Figure10:
Chartillustratesthe
prevalenceofstudentsatURIs
(N970)classstandingand
whethertheysaid,yesorno
todieting.
Limitations&Strengths
Whilethisdataanalysistheresearchersusedisprimarilybasedonrecodeddata
collectedfromtheUniversityofRhodeIsland'sHealthServicesDepartment20132014Behavior
Surveytherearelimitationsandstrengthsthatexist.
Someofthestrengthsthatasateamtheresearchersconcluded,bytheusesoftheBRFSS,
includearepresentationofalargepopulation,alowcost,convenientfordatagathering,no
observersubjectivity,andhavingdesiredstatisticalsignificancedataresults.
Thiswebbasedsurveythatprovidesdatathatrepresentsalargerpopulationof
UniversityofRhodeIslandstudentsfromthe2013fallsemester.Inconclusion,thisprovidea
betterdescription,specificallyontherelativeriskybehaviorofthegeneralpopulationinvolved
inthestudy.Thesecondstrengthisthelowcostofthisstudy.Whenconductingsurveyslikethe
BRFSS,URIsHealthServiceDepartmentonlyneededtopayfortheproductionofsurvey
questionnairesthusmakingconductingsurveysinthismannerinexpensiveforresearchers.The
thirdstrengthistheconvenienceofgatheringthistypeofdata.Inthisstudytheuseofthe
22
BRFSSandSPSSsoftwaremadeiteasiertocollectdata,targetparticipants,andsimplifydata.
Thefourthstrengthofthisstudyisthesubjectivitybecausethesetypesofrandom
crosssectional
surveysareidealtoeliminatetheresearchersownbiases.Lastly,thissurveymethodhasmade
thisneedsassessmenteasiertofindstatisticallysignificantdataresultsforfutureinterventions.
Moreover,researcherseasilydiscoverstatisticallysignificantpreciseresultsandaregiven
multiplevariablestoutilizefortheirchisquaretests(Advantages2015).
Somelimitationstothisstudyarethatmostofthestudentsbeingsurveyedareincoming
freshmanorarefreshman.Ofthe1003studentsthatansweredthesurveyquestions,ofthem
werefemalewhichskewsthedata.Thisdataprovidesuswithinitialinformationfromthe
students,butthereisneverafollowupsurveytoseeiftheanswerswerechanged.
Conclusion&FutureInterventions
SusanRacetteaddressedthefactthatinHealthyPeople2010over200objectivesthat
werespecified,thetoptwoconcernswerephysicalactivityandobesityincollegestudents
(Racette2008).InRhodeIslandresidentsages1825haveanobesityrateof17.9%anda
currentadultobesityrateof27.0%(TheStateofObesity2014).Throughourresearchwehave
beenabletoidentifyimportantfactorsthatcancontributetothelikelyhoodofobesityincollege
studentsandallowforimprovementthroughaneffectiveintervention.Fromthetendifferent
causesthatweaddressedonlyfourofourresearchstatementswerestatisticallysignificant.The
fourmajorcontributorstoweightgainweredepression,housingstatus(onoroffcampus),ifa
vegetarianregimenwasfollowed,andclassstanding.
Throughourprimarydatawehaveconcludedthatthemosttangibleresearchstatement
toprovideaninterventionis,
Studentsthatliveoncampusaremorelikelytobeoverweight.
Itis
23
oneofthefourstatementsthatwerestatisticallysignificant.With32%ofoncampusURI
studentsclassifyingthemselvesasoverweightandapvalueof.028.Ourfindingsrepresenta
necessityforthedevelopmentofaninterventiontomitigatetheprevalenceofobesity/overweight
inURIoncampusresidents.
Manycomponentscanleadtothepervasivenessofobesityinanoncampussetting.One
ofthedeterminatesthatrecognizedasagroupisthatUniversityofRhodeIslandstudentshave
accesstolimitlessmealswipesandareprivilegedwithunlimitedservingswhichcanleadto
weightgain.Withourprimaryandsecondarydatausedasareferencewehopetoachievean
effectiveandsuccessfulinterventiontoaddresstheimportanceofdecreasingthepredominance
ofweightgaininUniversitystudents.
24
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