Nutritional Choices More Popular Than Exercise Among College Women
Key Takeaways:
- A study from the University of Nebraska found that female college students are more likely to make nutritional choices for weight management compared to male students who favor physical exercise.
- Women are more likely to resort to low-fat diets, low-carb diets, and vegetarianism than men. A vast majority of men stated they had never engaged in a diet, compared to 65.6 percent of women.
- Women tend to seek their nutritional information from family and from reading magazines and newspapers more so than men.
- More women than men believe they consume excessive sugar, that restricting carbs and reducing fat intake is important for weight loss, and that they need to lose weight.
- The study backs up earlier research showing women tend to have stronger convictions about nutrition than men, and are more affected by sensitivity towards body fat.
A study conducted at the University of Nebraska has suggested that female college students are more drawn to nutritional choices as a weight management strategy than their male counterparts, who often favor physical exercise.
Differences Between Gender Groups
The study highlighted numerous variances between the nutrition habits and beliefts of men and women. Here are some of the main points:
- Compared to men, female respondents were considerably more likely to resort to low-fat diets (19.3 percent vs. 7.6 percent), low-carb diets (15.5 percent vs. 10 percent), and vegetarianism (4.4 percent vs. 0 percent).
- A striking 79.1 percent of men claimed they had never engaged in a diet, compared to 65.6 percent of women.
- Women predominantly sought their nutritional information from family members (58 percent vs. 41.9 percent of men), and from reading magazines and newspapers (43.1 percent vs. 30.5 percent of men).
- More women than men believed they consume excessive sugar (59.7 percent vs. 41.9 percent), that carbohydrate restriction is important (46.4 percent vs. 27.6 percent), that reducing fat intake aids weight loss (71.7 percent vs. 52.4 percent), and that they needed to lose weight (57.4 percent vs. 28.6 percent).
- Most of the participants (94.4 percent) agreed on the importance of a diverse diet for promoting good health.
This study was showcased in the October edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Gender Sensitivity to Body Fat
The results complement previous research indicating women’s inclination to have stronger convictions regarding nutrition than men. “Although men have some level of sensitivity towards body fat, women seem much more affected,” the research team noted.
Further Information
Find more details about weight control from the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Please note: The information in this article is based on historical data. For the most current information on this topic, check out other articles on our website.
