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Student Health Focus of Research Study
by Shawn Esworthy
The average Mars Hill girl has a body shape like Jennifer Lopez, according to one Mars Hill College student’s study of health on campus. The average Mars Hill boy has a body shape like NBA New York Knicks player Nate Robinson.
The study by a physical education major found that the average Mars Hill female has a body weight of 143.8 pounds and is 5’4” tall. They also have a Body Mass Index of 22. The average Mars Hill boy has a body weight of 180 pounds and is 5’10” tall. They also have a BMI of 25.
Lady Westmoreland made the presentation of her findings at SLAM. She did her study because she is interested in health and wellness. One of the reasons why she conducted her studies are because statistics show that 25 percent of Americans are obese. Heart disease was found as the number one killer, and it has risen.
Westmoreland wanted to find out if students of Mars Hill College make a healthy environment for everyone else. In all of the interesting things that Westmoreland found out about MHC students, she came to the conclusion that boys eat better than girls even though they eat more.
“Girls and non-athletes could step it up a little bit and eat better,” Westmoreland said.
The five main causes of obesity are genetics, exercise habits, nutritional habits, environment and friends. Westmoreland found that the two main causes for obesity at MHC are nutritional habits and environment, being away from home.
In a national study, she cited that 46 percent of students in college engage in physical activity. In her findings, she found that MHC students engage in 3.82 days of moderate exercise, which she indicated was pretty good. Fifty percent of participants surveyed at MHC want to lose 5 to 10 pounds. Twenty percent wish to lose 15-25 pounds.
“Having a healthy diet instead of dieting is probably a lot better,” Westmoreland said.
On the issue of environmental factors, she found that 80 percent of MHC students eat better at home. She also found that 66 percent of the students are more active at school, and 74 percent of MHC students wanted to lose weight.
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