Clinical Trial

Body Composition Changes among Students Enrolled in Activity Courses

The ever increasing trend in obesity has been widely associated with increased risk of non-communicable diseases. Recent data reveals that 37.7 percent of college students are either overweight or obese. Both aerobic and resistance exercise have been documented as effective means for addressing obesity, as classified by changes in body mass index, and body composition as classified by changes in lean and fat mass. The transition from the late teens to early adulthood is an important time period where young people may develop new behavioral patterns, including physical activity and exercise practices. Globally, over 200 million individuals are enrolled in higher education with many being withing this transitional age range. Previous research indicates that the average college student gains 1.55kg of body weight and 1.17 percent body fat within the first year and 3.0 kg and 3.6 percent body fat respectively over a four year span. Thus, college aged students, on average, experience significant weight and body composition changes throughout their time in higher education. Many Universities offer physical activity courses to students as a part of their required curriculum. These may be used to influence student lifestyle behaviors and attitudes towards living a physically active lifestyle as well as aid in relieving some of the weight gain and body composition changes that university students experience. Thus, our study is aimed at assessing and comparing body weight and compositional changes among students enrolled in physical activity courses.

• Muscular System
• Skeletal System
• Activity Course
• Body Composition
• Body Fat
• College Student