Discussion
The purpose of this survey was to assess the diet and exercise habits and perceived barriers to following a healthy lifestyle of college students and to determine if differences exist by gender. The survey population is young; most students are 21 years of age or younger, and there are a fairly even distribution of students by class standing. Twenty-five percent of students have a body mass index (BMI) placing them in the overweight category and 6% are classified as obese. In close agreement with the current survey, Lowry et al. (2000) report that 35% of college students are overweight or obese based on the 1995 National College Health Risk Behavior Survey. In contrast, Haberman and Luffey (1998), in a population of 302 college students, report that 8% are overweight. Female students in this survey population have a similar incidence of overweight (20%) as that reported by Anding et al. (2001) in a small population of 60 female students (25%). While 40% of men in this survey have a BMI greater than 25, 19% of these men report that they strength-train and 41% report they do a combination of exercise. Many of these men may have a greater proportion of lean body mass. Self-reported height and weight data must be viewed with caution as Jacobson and DeBock (2001) recently reported that college men underestimate height and college women underestimate weight.

Many college students have poor nutritional habits (Georgiou et al., 1997). Most do not meet the minimum recommended intake of dietary fiber, fruits, and vegetables; and exceed recommended intakes of total fat and saturated fat, sugar, and sodium (Anding et al., 2001; Grace, 1997; Hiza & Gerrior, 2002; TLHS, 2000). Thirty-three percent of this survey population report they consume breakfast “never” or “seldom.” Hertsler and Frary (1989) studied food behavior among 212 college students where 43% report skipping breakfast more than half the time. Eighty percent also indicate that they snack one to three times per day while 4% note four or more times per day. In the present survey, 63% are inclined to snack one to two times per day, 26% three to four times per day and 5% four or more times per day. “Boredom” was the most frequently cited reason for snacking. The present survey also found gender differences in types of snack foods and additional reasons for snacking. Men state “partying” as a reason for snacking more frequently than women and women state “emotional” more frequently than men. While most students snack on chips, crackers, or nuts; men snack on fast foods more and on ice cream, cookies and candy less frequently than women. Twenty-six percent of women and 38% of men in the current study report drinking regular soda or other sugared beverages one or more times per day. While the authors defined a serving as equaling one cup, it is clear that most students purchase much larger sodas; the standard serving sold on campus is 20 ounces. Larger portion sizes leading to significantly increased caloric intake are implicated in the national obesity epidemic (Young & Nestle, 2002). Soda may be just one source of excess calories in the college students’ diet. A recent study (Lang, 2003) suggests that the “freshman 15,” the gain of 15 pounds of weight by freshman during the first year of college, may be a real phenomenon fostered by “all you can eat” dining facilities, evening snacks, consumption of junk food, and dieting. It is reported that nation wide binge-drinking among college students exceeds 40% (Grace, 1997). Men are heavier drinkers than women in the present survey where 15% state they usually drink 22 or more drinks per week. Wechsler et al. (Wechsler & Isaac, 1992; Wechsler et al., 2000) also confirm that male students drink more frequently than female students.