Obesogenic environmental influences on young adults: Evidence from college dormitory assignments |
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| Institution: | 1. Abt Associates Inc., US Health, 4550 Montgomery Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814, United States;2. Marquette University, College of Business and Graduate School of Management, Department of Economics, 606 N. 13th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53201, United States;3. University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Health Management and Policy Department, 1415 Washington Heights, M3517 SPH II, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States;1. Research Design and Analytics, Children''s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minneapolis;2. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Center for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia;3. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor;4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH;5. College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia;1. Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK;2. Research Institute for Future Design, Kochi University of Technology, Eikokuji, Kochi, 780-8515, Japan;3. Research Center for Brain Communication, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Kochi, 782-8502, Japan;1. Korea National Youth Policy Institute, Sejong-si, Republic of Korea;2. Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education & Training, Sejong-si, Republic of Korea;3. Department of Economics, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;1. Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA;2. College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA;3. Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA |
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| Abstract: | This study utilizes a natural experiment—conditionally random dormitory assignments of first-year US college students—to investigate the influence of obesogenic environmental factors in explaining changes in weight and exercise behavior during the 2009–2010 academic year. The design addresses potential selection biases resulting from the likelihood that individuals sort into built environments that match their preferences for exercise and healthy eating. We find some evidence that the food environment, specifically access to campus dining, significantly affected the weight of female students in our study. Females assigned to dormitories where the nearest campus dining hall was closed on the weekends gained about 1 lb less over the course of the year than females assigned to dormitories near dining halls that were open 7 days a week. We also find some evidence that female who lived in close proximity to a grocery store gained less weight over the course of the year. Finally, females who lived closer to campus gym reported more frequent exercise over the course of the year. We do not find significant effects of the built environment on weight changes of males in our sample, but we are cautious to draw strong conclusions from this because the male weight change in our sample was quite small. |
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| Keywords: | Weight gain Built environment effects Obesity |
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