Greg Wilson, a recent Longwood College graduate living in Oxford, Miss.,
goes to Burger King for lunch and has four double cheeseburgers and fries.
His co-workers make fun of him saying his heart, ãLucky,ä is
wrapped in fat, and heâll need a new one someday. Wilson said the
prodding has begun to make him think more about his health. Many Generation
Xers are trying to shed their couch potato image by living, eating and
playing healthier.
Ira Simon, director of Bama Dining Services at the University of Alabama,
said he has seen a definite change in the health attitudes of students.
He has seen a higher level of interest in lower fat foods like salads,
fruits and vegetables.
Another interesting fact Simon has run across is the number of students
that are vegetarians. "It used to be that you might see one vegetarian
in every entering freshman class. Now that number has gone up to 15 to
20 percent of the entering freshman class."
Since students have become more health conscious, it has become a challenge
for him to plan meals. Students are not only health conscious, but they
are also conscientious buyers. "They don't have mom's cooking anymore
so they have to make their own decisions," Simon said.
Students are more vocal about what they do and do not like. "Students
vote with their feet. If they don't like what we are serving, they go somewhere
else," he said.
One change food services have made in the past few years is labeling foods
for calories, sodium and fat content so students can see what they are
getting. Another change food services have made is making cafeterias more
retail-oriented to help meet the challenge of providing a diversity of
products.
For the past 21 years, Simon has been a college food service director,
and in that time, has watched the development of health trends.
Another area of health concern for young adults is fitness. Cheree Causey,
director of Fitness and Wellness Services at University Recreation, said
young adults today have grown up more aware of their health. People in
the late 1960s and early 1970s started to pay more attention to their health
and taught their children to do so as well. As a result, Causey said today's
young adults eat better, are involved in more athletic activities and are
smarter about their health.
"Kids already know what their blood pressure is and what their cholesterol
level is," she said. The intramural leagues are strong at the university
because students seek out organized and communal sports, Causey said. Spin
classes, or stationary bike classes, have become popular in the past couple
of years because they offer fitness in a communal atmosphere. "For
example, we have a very strong faculty/staff league along with all the
students that play," said Causey.
The recreational center also staffs a registered dietitian who offers individual
and group counseling. She can help students to see a connection between
their diet and fitness.
The recreational center also provides a weight loss program called Lite-Weights.
This program helps students who want to lose a few pounds do it in the
correct way.
In addition to the regular fitness programs, such as aerobics, weight rooms
and racquetball, the University Recreation also provides screenings. Causey
said some of the screenings they do are back and posture screenings, and
stress and time management.
The Combined Health Information Database found in a nationwide study that
most 17-year-olds and young adults understand the basic concepts of nutrition,
consumer criteria for buying food, weight control and calorie intake. The
study shows most young adults are aware of their health and can do something
about it.
But some health experts still question the eating and fitness habits of
high school and college students.
Beth Kitchin, the coordinator of the UAB EatRight Information Service,
said the eating trends of teenagers greatly affects their nutritional habits
in college and later in life. Teenagers are able to exert more control
over their diet as a way of asserting their adulthood. They tend to eat
less vegetables and fruits and drink more soft drinks. Girls, particularly,
do not get enough calcium during these "bone building" years.
"All of these factors have a great impact on these kids when they
move into that 18 to 30 year-old age group," said Kitchin.
Rachel Patton, a freshman English and theater major, said she watches what
she eats and exercises regularly to stay healthy. "I try to eat right,
which is sometimes hard when you're in college," she said.