{"id":31422,"date":"2025-11-06T20:36:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T20:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=31422"},"modified":"2025-11-06T20:36:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T20:36:25","slug":"new-study-unveils-why-freshmen-gain-the-freshman-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/new-study-unveils-why-freshmen-gain-the-freshman-15\/","title":{"rendered":"New Study Unveils Why Freshmen Gain the &#8216;Freshman 15&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A study led by George Mason University researchers reveals the social and environmental factors contributing to the notorious &#8220;freshman 15.&#8221; Uncover the influence of dining settings and group meals on college students&#8217; eating habits.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As incoming college students receive advice on navigating campus life, one piece frequently stands out: beware of the \u201cfreshman 15.\u201d This phenomenon, where first-year students gain weight, is so widespread it has become a fixture in college folklore. But what exactly drives this trend?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new study from George Mason University, <a href=\"https:\/\/mhealth.amegroups.org\/article\/view\/144983\/html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the journal mHealth, seeks to provide clarity. The interdisciplinary research, spearheaded by Y. Alicia Hong, a professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy, highlights the social and environmental factors that lead to increased food intake among college students, contributing to the notorious weight gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSocial and environmental factors are key determinants of eating behavior. College students are affected by the eating environment, especially\u00a0<em>where<\/em>\u00a0they eat and whom they eat\u00a0<em>with<\/em>. Our research found that they consume more calories when eating in groups or formal dining settings,\u201d Hong said in a news release.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over four weeks, students used a mobile app to record their daily eating habits, environments and mood and stress levels. The data indicated that participants tended to eat more in social settings, such as dining halls or restaurants, and less when alone or at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, the study also uncovered that students often misjudge their food consumption. The app-logged caloric intake significantly differed from their self-perceived consumption. Additionally, gender and emotional state were identified as contributing factors to these eating behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCollege students\u2019 eating behaviors are complex, with individual, interpersonal, and environmental factors interacting to influence dietary intake. This research underscores the importance of context in dietary intervention and incorporating digital tools for dietary assessment,\u201d added Hong.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.gmu.edu\/news\/2025-11\/why-freshmen-15-phenomenon-so-common\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">George Mason University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As incoming college students receive advice on navigating campus life, one piece frequently stands out: beware of the \u201cfreshman 15.\u201d This phenomenon, where first-year students gain weight, is so widespread it has become a fixture in college folklore. But what exactly drives this trend? A new study from George Mason University, published in the journal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[486],"class_list":["post-31422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","tag-george-mason-university"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"As incoming college students receive advice on navigating campus life, one piece frequently stands out: beware of the \u201cfreshman 15.\u201d This phenomenon, where first-year students gain weight, is so widespread it has become a fixture in college folklore. But what exactly drives this trend? A new study from George Mason University, published in the journal&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31422"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31432,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31422\/revisions\/31432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}