Final Story

WSU STUDENTS RESPOND TO HEALTH INFORMATION

By Conor Devitt

I). The study process

·         Introduce CJ Woytovech

·         Explain study calculation

·         Explain study process

II). Results

·         Overall percent changes

·         Gender differences

·         Rebuttal

III). Overall health at WSU

·         WSU as a ‘fit’ college

·         WSU policies that promote weight gain

·         Dining Services health movements

The simple presentation of information can make a large difference in people’s health choices, according to a research study done by one WSU kinesiology student.

The study, led by Cynthia “CJ” Woytovech, was centered on students’ decisions to either take the stairs or the elevator leading up to the CUB from the practice fields.

Woytovech, a senior, first calculated the average amount of weight gained by students who chose to take the elevator everyday instead of the stairs.

Using 158.65 pounds, a number she calculated in an earlier study, as the average weight for a WSU student, Woytovech calculated that the normal student would gain 2.12 pounds a year by choosing to take the elevator each day.

After gathering data on the number of students who decided to take the stairs for one week, Woytovech then gathered data on a different week with similar weather, only this time with the weight gain statistic posted on flyers in and around the elevator.

“It’s all about education nowadays,” Woytovech said. “The public needs to be educated about healthy options.”

According to the study, about 27 percent of the 3141 students tallied before the signs were put up chose to take the stairs. After the signs were posted, about 45 percent of the 4498 students tallied chose to take the stairs.

The increase was especially prevalent among female students. Originally, male students chose to go down the stairs at a higher rate than females. However, with the posters up female students descended the stairs at a consistently higher rate than males.

“On our motivational sign phase of this project, we saw a drastic difference with the number of females taking the stairs,” Woytovech said.

However, not all female students found the flyers effective.

“So the signs that were put into the CUB Elevator about taking the stairs and losing weight really didn’t affect me that much, because if I’m in a rush I’ll take the stairs up because its faster but if I’m leisurely walking I’ll take the elevator,” said freshmen Megan Thompson, a  resident of Streit-Perham and a regular CUB elevator user. “It really doesn’t make that big of a difference to me, I’m a pretty active person.”

This study and others completed by Woytovech and her research partner Geoff Hoffman, a WSU graduate student last semester, centered on the topics of student health and weight gain in college.

“We are an extremely fit college in general,” Woytovech said, noting that the average BMI for a student on campus was around 23.5. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, that number falls in the ‘healthy’ range for adults.

Hoffman said, however, college freshmen at WSU do tend to gain weight. He attributes this to both unhealthy food options and a tendency to have a less active lifestyle compared to high school.

“All of these studies came out of the idea that WSU is breeding weight gain in students,” Woytovech said, citing policies such as required meal plans for freshmen and RDA expiration, which she believes encourages binge eating.

WSU Dining Services have also been attempting to increase education on healthy options. According to the WSU website, Dining Services launched a new site called myNutrition in an effort to spread knowledge about healthy dieting and exercise. The site includes resources such as nutrition calculators, exercise recommendations and dietary intake guides.

Dining Services also employs a registered dietitian named Chelsey Woods, who helps advice university chefs on how to make recipes healthier.  Woods helped the chefs set up 500-calorie meal options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She also offers free nutrition consultations to students, faculty and staff.

However, Woytovech would like to see the university become even more health-conscious.

“Just because we are a fit college doesn’t mean we can’t make some changes,” Woytovech said. “Who knows what just putting a little sign up saying this is your healthiest option could lead to?”

CJ Woytovech: 360-970-8553 (face-to-face)
Geoff Hoffman: 360-719-9191
Chelsey Woods: chelsey.woods@wsu.edu
Megan Thompson: megan.thompson.129@facebook.com (face-to-face)