Running head: LAB REPORT 4

Kace McKenna Winters

BBH 411W
Lab Report 4

Introduction

The outcome variable chosen was weight gain in college aged individuals. It may be all
fun and games to some to say things like the freshmen fifteen, but any rapid weight gain and
concurrent weight gain is not healthy, and can lead to more serious complications. It is important
for college students to recognize this situation, as obesity is one of the most, if not the most,
preventable diseases facing the United States of America. According to Paul de Vos et al., results
from their research indicated that college freshman gained 1.1 kilograms on average, while 40
percent changed eating patterns, 30 percent consumed more alcohol, and only students that did
not have irregular eating habits wanted to change their lifestyle (de Vos et al., 2015). According
to WHO, 1.9 billion adults are overweight, and approximately 600 million of those people are
obese ("Obesity and overweight", 2016).
Those individuals with a BMI greater than or equal to 25 are considered to be
overweight, while a BMI greater than or equal to 30 is obese. The NIH states that being
overweight or obese can lead to problems such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure,
type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, and cancer, all of which affect the quality of life
("What Are Overweight and Obesity? - NHLBI, NIH", 2016) and contribute to more than $147
billion to nearly $210 billion per year of healthcare costs ("The Healthcare Costs of Obesity: The
State of Obesity", 2016).

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According to a study done by Burke et al., young adults are at a high risk for weight gain.
This research further states that ages 18-24 is more at risk for weight gain than those individuals
aged 24-30. With that being said, this indicates that younger adult men are more likely to gain
weight in their early twenties; however, they are still likely to gain weight until at least their midthirties, suggesting that the results indicate a significant finding of age-related weight gain.
Furthermore, Burke and his research team identify that this weight gain can be targeted to reduce
further overweight or obese individuals (Burke et al., 1996). Since this period seems to be a
critical turning point for young adults, it seemed necessary to focus on how age was related to
weight to evaluate trends, especially when targeting the predictor can improve the outcome. On
another note, P T Williams and P D Wood also address the phenomenon of age-related weight in
their research on how different levels of physical activity may or may not cause a slower
progression of weight gain (Williams & Wood, 2005).
In addition, Burke notes that there was no significance in his results indicating a weight
gain in females. For this reason, this lab report chose to set sex as the covariate. If young men
and women do not gain age-related weight at this period, then it should have an impact on the
outcome (Burke et al., 1996). With that being said, there will be a greater effect of sex on weight
gain in the males participating in this survey. The hypothesis is as stated: As the age of the
individual increases, so will the individuals weight. The predictor, or dependent variable, is age,
the second predictor, or covariate, is sex, and the outcome, or the independent variable, is weight
without shoes.

Methods

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The NHIS is an annual national data collection program designed by the National Center
for Health Statistics (NCHS), which happens to be a part of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). This survey is cross-sectional, and aims to gather health progress. This
particular report examines those results from the 2011 adult survey. The sample is drawn by 600
interviewers obtaining information from each state and the District of Columbia. Each area is
separated into four panels, for proper representation of the US. Anyone over the age of 17 is able
to respond to these interviewers. This survey reaches out to about 35,000 households, with a
representation of about 85,000 respondents ("NHIS - About the National Health Interview
Survey", 2016). The subjects I chose to focus on were those individuals of common college age:
17-22 years old.
The variables were measured in accordance to information obtained by the NHIS page on
cdc.gov, and in accordance with a sample questionnaire that an adult might have seen given an
interview. The question asked for the independent, or predictor, variable was: How old are you?
The respondent could answer 0-120 years, or could simply refuse to answer. The answers were
coded as 000-120, 997 refused, and 999 dont know. The question asked for the dependent, or
outcome, variable was: How much do you weight without shoes? The respondent could answer
between 050-500, or could refuse to answer. The options were coded as 050-500, 997 for
refused, 999 dont know, and M for Metric. The question asked for the covariate was: Are you
male or female? The respondent could answer male (coded as 1) or female (coded as 2).
Using SPSS, this lab report used a linear regression as both the predictor and outcome
variables were quantitative. Both frequencies and descriptive statistics were evaluated as to not
miss anything. In this lab, a simple regression was used before following up with a multiple
regression with additional covariates. Throughout this lab, p < 0.05 was accepted as significant.

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Results

The sample size usable was obtained from 1,985 responses from 2,187 respondents (1,044
male; 1,143 female). The average age was 20.16 years old with a standard deviation of 1.380
years. The average weight was 160.60 pounds with a standard deviation of 36.408 pounds. There
were 202 missing values. The average height was 69.33 inches with a standard deviation of
8.900 inches.
Descriptive Statistics
N

Sex
Age
Weight without shoes
(pounds)
Total height in inches
Valid N (listwise)

Std.
Deviation

Mean

Statistic Statistic
2187
1.52
2187
20.16

Variance

Std.
Error
.011
.030

Statistic
Statistic
.500
.250
1.380
1.905
36.408 1325.533

1985

160.60

.817

2187
1985

69.33

.190

8.900

Frequencies
Sex
Frequency Percent
Valid Male
1044
47.7
Female
1143
52.3
Total
2187
100.0

Valid
Percent
47.7
52.3
100.0

Cumulative
Percent
47.7
100.0

Age

Valid 18
19
20

Frequency Percent
329
15.0
443
20.3
467
21.4

Valid
Percent
15.0
20.3
21.4

Cumulative
Percent
15.0
35.3
56.7

79.218

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21
22
Total

443
505
2187

20.3
23.1
100.0

20.3
23.1
100.0

76.9
100.0

There was no significant association between predictor and outcome (B = 0.843, CI from
-0.322 to 2.009, p = 0.156). After controlling for sex, the effect of the age on the individuals
weight became stronger, indicating that sex was not a confounder that exaggerated the effect of
the predictor on the outcome (B = 1.342, CI = 0.276 to 2.407, p = 0.014).

Figure 1: Predictor / Outcome

Figure 1: A simple representation between the predictor and outcome variable. There is no
significant association as shown by this data.
Figure 2: Outcome / Confounder

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Figure 2: This graph displays the confounding effects total height has on the weight of an
individual. As height increases, so does weight.
Figure 3: Predictor / Confounder

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Figure 3: This representation displays the lack of association between age and height. There is
no evidence to support height being a confounder in association with age.

Discussion

We analyzed the relationship between college aged individuals (young adults) and weight in
a large, nationally representative sample adults in the US. The results were not significant, and
they did not support the hypothesis. Controlling for a secondary variable made the association
stronger, but still insignificant.
According to research done by Jennifer L. Kuk et al., aging is a process in which human
beings add more fat and even redistribute fat to other parts of the body. As this buildup of fat
continues, those individuals can increase their risk of potentially harmful side effects (Kuk,
Saunders, Davidson & Ross, 2009). With that in mind, John Jakicic notes from his research that
prevention of overweight and obese individuals is just as important in the treatment of these
individuals (Jakicic, 2002). On that note, it is vital that researchers establish a specific time
frame to educate predominantly the youth about the consequences of their lifestyles. It is for this
reason that we chose to look at our variables; however, our results did not show an increase in
weight across the age span that we selected; or, at least not a significant change. The fact of the
matter is that there were simply too many limitations, as this study was not specific enough to
identify the outcome that we were truly after.
Some limitations of the results include the fact that the survey represents all subjects
across the US, not just college aged males and females. We wanted to look specifically at college
students, but that is not what the sample had identified. Furthermore, it would have been much

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more helpful had the study had some sort of questions regarding any type of weight gain.
Another limitation could have simply come from people lying about facts about themselves.
In order to establish an association between age and college students, another study
would need to take more specific statistics. This study would need to identify weight, height, and
age per year for both males and females. This study would still be cross-sectional. The
population at hand could sample all universities and colleges, but for our sake, it should
represent those students at Penn State University. The hypothesis should remain the same: As the
age of the individual increases, so will the individuals weight. The predictor, or independent
variable, should be age in years. The outcome, or dependent variable, should be weight in
pounds. The covariate should be sex.
As previously mentioned, it would make sense that the older the individual became, the
more weight they are going to pack on (Burke et al., 1996), due to the fact that physical activity
decreases, metabolism decreases, and food choices become poorer. That being said, this study
should identify when, why, and how this weight gain occurs.

Conclusion

Although the current study was not directed in determining the outcome we were searching for,
we did not find a significant association between age and weight gain in adults aged 17-24. At
this time, a new study directly focused on discovering this outcome will be needed to provide
evidence that this remains true.

References

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Burke, G., Bild, D., Hilner, J., Folsom, A., Wagenknecht, L., & Sidney, S. (1996). Differences in
weight gain in relation to race, gender, age and education in young adults: The CARDIA
study. Ethnicity & Health, 1(4), 327-335.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13557858.1996.9961802
de Vos, P., Hanck, C., Neisingh, M., Prak, D., Groen, H., & Faas, M. (2015). Weight gain in
freshman college students and perceived health. Preventive Medicine Reports, 2, 229234. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.03.008
Jakicic, J. (2002). The role of physical activity in prevention and treatment of body weight gain
in adults. The Journal Of Nutrition, 132(12), 3826S-3829S.
Kuk, J., Saunders, T., Davidson, L., & Ross, R. (2009). Age-related changes in total and regional
fat distribution. Ageing Research Reviews, 8(4), 339-348.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2009.06.001
NHIS - About the National Health Interview Survey. (2016). Cdc.gov. Retrieved 2 April 2016,
from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/about_nhis.htm
Obesity and overweight. (2016). World Health Organization. Retrieved 1 April 2016, from
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/
The Healthcare Costs of Obesity: The State of Obesity. (2016). Stateofobesity.org. Retrieved 1
April 2016, from http://stateofobesity.org/healthcare-costs-obesity/
What Are Overweight and Obesity? - NHLBI, NIH. (2016). Nhlbi.nih.gov. Retrieved 1 April
2016, from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe

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Williams, P., & Wood, P. (2005). The effects of changing exercise levels on weight and agerelated weight gain. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord, 30(3), 543-551.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803172
Appendix
Simple Regression

10

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Multiple Regression

11

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12

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13