No Time to Wait: The Health Kids Strategy - Ontario

Late teensAs teens transition to adulthood, they spendmore time away from home at college oruniversity, socializing with friends and/orworking. They are responsible for makingmore of their own decisions about food andactivities.According to a national U.S.-basedlongitudinal study of youth, the typicalfemale gains between seven and nine pounds,while males gain between 12 and 13 poundsduring the college/university years. 90 Theyappear to experience moderate but steadyweight gain throughout early adulthood. 91Although most do not need to worry abouttheir weight, anyone who gains 1.5 poundsa year will become overweight over time. 92This type of steady weight gain can influencetheir health during adulthood. It can beparticularly problematic for young womenwho plan to become mothers. If they arenot able to return to a healthy weight, it canaffect their health during pregnancy and thehealth of their child. 9390 Zagorsky JL, Smith PK. (2011). The Freshman 15: A Critical Time for Obesity Intervention or Media Myth? Social Sciences Quarterly 92:5;1389-1407.91 Ibid.92 Ibid.93 Li C, Kaur H, Choi WS, Huang TT, Lee RE, Ahluwalia JS. (2005). Additive interactions of maternal prepregnancy BMI and breast-feeding on childhoodoverweight. Obes Res. 2005 Feb;13(2):362-71.22