The transition to college has been identified as a critical period for increases in overweight status. Overweight college students are at-risk of becoming obese adults, thus prevention efforts targeting college age individuals might be one key to reducing adult obesity rates. The current study developed and implemented an intensive, 6-session, internet intervention. This intervention was evaluated with first year college students assigned randomly to one of four treatment conditions: 1) no treatment, 2) 6-week weight and caloric feedback only, 3) 6-week internet intervention, and 4) 6-week combined feedback and internet intervention. As expected, the combined intervention group had lower BMI at post-testing than the internet, feedback, and control groups. The combined intervention showed reduced snacking behaviors after dinner; however, other measures of eating and exercise behaviors and beliefs were not observed. Ethnic and gender differences were observed. African American participants had lower body dissatisfaction than White participants. Further, within the White subsample, the combined intervention group manifested reductions in binge eating symptoms and increased fiber intake compared to controls. Males reported more physical activity across all intervention arms than females. This study demonstrates the effectiveness and feasibility of an internet based intervention to prevent weight gain among college students. Future studies are needed to understand the mechanisms involved in preventing weight gain in this age group and to develop more culturally targeted interventions for diverse students.

The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity suggests that current policies and interventions have been inadequate to counteract the driving forces. Young adults attending college gain weight at a faster rate than the general population, without evidence of compensatory weight loss. Therefore, college may be an important stage for the primary prevention of obesity. We sought to identify weight gain mediators in college underclassmen using the social cognitive model for health behavior change. Eligible students living on-campus to underwent assessments of height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, habitual physical activity and dietary intake, and psychosocial determinants of health behavior change. We conducted elicitation interviews and focus group discussions to identify themes related to the diet and physical activity habits, attitudes, social norms, and experiences of the target population. Results found that students were generally physically fit and enjoyed a variety of physical activities, yet spent considerable amounts of time in sedentary activity and had difficulty exercising regularly. Healthy eating perceptions were instilled by parents; however, families are much less influential in college, and students almost always eat with friends. Healthy eating and exercise habits were secondary to several other responsibilities. Skills in planning, goal setting, and self-monitoring are necessary to overcome the social and environmental forces contributing to weight gain. These results will be used to develop a social cognitive theory-based intervention to improve health behaviors, and consequently prevent weight gain in young adults attending college. / Master of Science