Should Universities Mandate Students Health Choices?

In 2006 Lincoln University in Pennsylvania introduced a mandate that states students must have their Body Mass Index measured. Students with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30 cannot graduate without first taking a class called “Fitness for Life” three hours a week for a semester. In spring of 2010, the first batch of freshman subjected to this mandate will graduate, that is, if they have met the university’s requirements. The university says the mandate is an attempt to help curb rising obesity rates and diabetes in North America. Lincoln University has good intentions and certainly creative and bold steps need to be taken to promote healthy living to current and future generations. However, overweight students should not be singled out from other university students. The BMI index is not always an accurate indicator of a healthy weight; since muscle weighs more than fat, a BMI reading can be misleading about a person’s health and fitness levels.

The university’s mandate is confusing in itself. Can students take the “Fitness for Life” class at any point in their four-plus years at the school? What if a student has a healthy BMI as a freshman but gains weight throughout their university career? What if a student takes the fitness course, only to gain weight afterwards? Will exceptions be made for students who are physically unable to take a fitness course? What if a student has a BMI that borders on 30 but does not reach that point until their last day of classes? Will university representatives be standing by with measuring tapes and scales on the last day of exams to measure each and every students’ BMI to ensure they are fit enough to graduate?

The mandate also makes the mistake of only targeting students in their final year of university. Prior to this, researchers studying the effects of university life on students have generally looked at students in their first year of university. For years, university students and researchers alike have been obsessed with the idea of the “Freshman 15,” an urban myth that first-year university students gain an average of 15 pounds during their first year of post-secondary education. First-year students, many of which are away from home and their parents’ dining room tables for the first time, tend to pack on the pounds due to many factors, including an increase in greasy food, midnight snack runs, keg stands and unprecedented levels of stress. University students also don’t enough sleep due to too much studying or too much partying, or an ambitious combination of the two factors. Many students, especially those living in dorm rooms, become accustomed to a wardrobe of sweatpants and Lu Lu Lemon yoga pants because studying is painful enough without attempting to do it in skinny jeans. Sweatpants, while comfortable and convenient, often make it difficult to tell when one has gained a few pounds; jeans are much less forgiving. However, despite many students’ attempts to drink their body weight in tequila, the Freshman 15 remains a myth. In 2006, researchers at the University of Guelph did a study that debunked the Freshman 15 myth; their research showed, on average, female university students only gain five pounds during freshman year. Male university students gain slightly more than female students, researchers found.

What studies have not shown is how much weight students gain throughout their entire four-plus years at university. Lincoln University should focus on the health and well-being of all of its students, not just its seniors. The gluttonous sins committed by many freshmen can become lifelong habits if not corrected early on. Universities have a real opportunity to encourage students to lead healthier lifestyles. It’s great Lincoln University offers a course that can help students achieve their fitness goals, or learn tips for healthy eating. However, people that are forced to take part in a fitness class against their will are not likely to stick with the healthy habits they learn during the course. The goal of the course should be to teach students healthy, active habits that they will continue for the rest of their lives, not to tell them they must lose weight in order to graduate. If Lincoln University is serious about helping students lead healthier lifestyles, they should make their “Fitness for Life” course a requirement for every student, not just for overweight students. If the university isn’t willing to make the course mandatory for all students then the “Fitness for Life” should be an option for all students, regardless of size.