Kentucky State University
Prevalence of Obesity Linked Metabolic Syndrome in Young Adults in a College Setting
Institution
Kentucky State University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Avinash Tope; Phyllis Rogers
Abstract
Ethnic disparities in the prevalence of obesity continue to exist. African Americans (AA) continue to report higher rates for obesity than any other ethnic group. Overweight and obesity are linked to greater risk for Metabolic Syndrome (MtS), a cluster of chronic and serious diseases that include a high body mass index (BMI), diabetes, hypertension and lipid imbalance that over burden the health care system. With more than 2/3 of KSU students being AA young adults (18- 24), KSU Land Grant Program’s Nutrition and Health Research, the Teaching Faculty and the local Health Department collaborated together to address the risk for MtS in the student population with an objective for an early detection and intervention. SHAPE UP KSU, an integrated project involving freshmen students was launched in the fall of 2009 at KSU. Freshmen students (n=149) were recruited and clinical evaluations were performed. Following indicators of MtS were analyzed: 1.Body Mass Index, 2. Fasting sugar, 3. Total Cholesterol, 4. Good Cholesterol (HDL) and 5. Bad Cholesterol (LDL). Approximately 44% (n=27) of the participants were found to have MtS. Starting with freshmen, students will be tracked through their stay in the college and those identified with MtS will be offered nutrition and life style related counseling. These partnerships with local and national resources could be used as a ‘model’ for many other institutions of higher education, especially for other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).
Prevalence of Obesity Linked Metabolic Syndrome in Young Adults in a College Setting
Ethnic disparities in the prevalence of obesity continue to exist. African Americans (AA) continue to report higher rates for obesity than any other ethnic group. Overweight and obesity are linked to greater risk for Metabolic Syndrome (MtS), a cluster of chronic and serious diseases that include a high body mass index (BMI), diabetes, hypertension and lipid imbalance that over burden the health care system. With more than 2/3 of KSU students being AA young adults (18- 24), KSU Land Grant Program’s Nutrition and Health Research, the Teaching Faculty and the local Health Department collaborated together to address the risk for MtS in the student population with an objective for an early detection and intervention. SHAPE UP KSU, an integrated project involving freshmen students was launched in the fall of 2009 at KSU. Freshmen students (n=149) were recruited and clinical evaluations were performed. Following indicators of MtS were analyzed: 1.Body Mass Index, 2. Fasting sugar, 3. Total Cholesterol, 4. Good Cholesterol (HDL) and 5. Bad Cholesterol (LDL). Approximately 44% (n=27) of the participants were found to have MtS. Starting with freshmen, students will be tracked through their stay in the college and those identified with MtS will be offered nutrition and life style related counseling. These partnerships with local and national resources could be used as a ‘model’ for many other institutions of higher education, especially for other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).