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First-Year University Students Who Self-Select Into Health Studies Have More Desirable Health Measures And Behaviors At Baseline But Experience Similar Changes Compared To Non-Self-Selected Students, Mary-Jon Ludy, Abigail P. Crum, Carmen A. Young, Amy L. Morgan, Robin M. Tucker

Public and Allied Health Faculty Publications

Studies demonstrate that first-year university students are at high risk for weight gain. These reports typically rely on self-selected participants. The purpose of this study was to explore if students who chose to participate in a health-based research study had more desirable health measures and behaviors than students who completed health assessments as part of a first-year seminar course. Health measures included blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), and percent body fat. Health behaviors included dietary patterns (Starting the Conversation questionnaire) and alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption). A total of 191 (77% female) participants completed testing in …