Abstract
Objective: Given the number of college students with a normal BMI decreases 9-12% throughout the college experience, we wanted to model the traits responsible for behaviors impacting body composition in college-age women. Participants: Participants (n = 141) were recruited from a freshman-level nutrition course between August 2016 and May 2018. Methods: We built a path analysis model using variables from online questionnaires and lab visits. We grouped participants by median split of aerobic fitness and evaluated model fit. We defined statistical significance as p <.05. Results: The model provided an adequate representation of the data (CFI = 0.921). Aerobic fitness was the strongest predictor of body fat (p <.001) in both high-fit (–0.440) and low-fit (–0.469) women. Body dissatisfaction demonstrated relationships with body fat previously established in athletes and clinical populations. Conclusion: Physical activity to improve aerobic fitness appears most effective at maintaining healthy body composition in this population.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 30-37 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of American College Health |
Volume | 69 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2021 |
Keywords
- Aerobic fitness
- body composition
- body dissatisfaction
- drive for thinness
- path analysis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health