There’s another reason to be nervous about random roommates.
A recent study by the University of Michigan indicates that the freshman 15 may have more to do with roommate assignments than with the newfound freedom of college life.
Based on the study, freshmen women who live with heavier roommates will gain less weight than those who live with roommates of an average weight.
Students with heavier roommates gained an average of half a pound compared to students with slimmer roommates who gained an average 2.5 pounds.
Heavier women are more likely to diet, exercise and use dietary supplements than average-weight women according to Kandice Kapinos, assistant research scientist at the UM Institute for Social Research.
“It’s not really the weight of your roommate that’s important, but the behaviors your roommate engages in,” Kapinos said in a press release.
“These behaviors are what may really be contagious,” she said.
The UM study was the first of its kind to assess weight gain using randomized assignments for roommates.
Students are less encouraged to practice healthy eating and exercise habits if they have roommates who “order pizza all the time and watch movies all day,” said Kathryn Ross, a UF Public Health and Health Professions graduate student.
“People usually have trips in their behavior that add up over time,” Ross said. “If you go from eating dessert with one meal to eating dessert for three meals, the pounds will add up.”
Ross is currently working on a study that examines weight-gain prevention. The Success through Healthy Eating and Exercise project, or Project SEE, focuses on helping students with maintaining healthy habits in their lifestyles.
“It’s about self-moderating and keeping an eye on your weight,” Ross said.
