Earlier studies associated the first year of college with a dramatic increase in body weight, termed the "freshman 15". However, recent studies showed that weight gain might be smaller. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the extent of observed weight/body composition changes, including factors associated with them, among students entering university. Searches were conducted for studies examining weight/body composition changes during freshman semesters. Most studies were not comprehensive in assessing numerous potential causative factors for weight gain. Methods for assessing diet, physical activity, and behavioral factors varied among studies. Weight changes were often not quantified by measures of body composition (lean/fat) to ascertain that changes were limited just to gains in fat mass. Overall, weight changes ranged from 0.7-3.1 kg, but among individuals who gained weight, the range was narrower, 3.1-3.4 kg. There may be specific groups of students with a greater predisposition for weight gain and future research should focus on identifying those groups.

Objective: The aims of the study were to assess whether women during the first year of college experience (1) significant weight gain; (2) a prospective relation between dietary restraint and weight gain; (3) an increase in disordered eating; and (4) a prospective relation between dietary restraint or concern about the Freshmen 15 (i.e., weight gain of 15 lbs during the freshman year of college) and disordered eating.\n\nMethod\nParticipants were 336 female students in their first year of college who completed questionnaire measures of Body Mass Index (BMI), eating disorder pathology, dietary restraint, body image, and self-esteem.\n\nResults\nParticipants' mean weight gain was approximately 3 lbs (1.5 kg), and among those who gained weight, the mean gain was 7.32 lbs (3.3 kg). Dietary restraint in September did not predict weight change in April, but participants who lost weight reported significantly greater dietary restraint than those participants who gained weight. Eating disorder symptoms increased significantly from September to April. Dietary restraint, concern about the "Freshman 15", and self-esteem in September uniquely predicted EDE-Q Weight and Shape Concern subscale scores in April.\n\nDiscussion\nFemale students in their first year of college gain a small but significant amount of weight, and weight gain was mostly unrelated to dietary restraint. Disordered eating increases during the first year of college and, is predicted by prospective dietary restraint and concerns about weight gain.

Good for background information.

Newspapers have been battered by technological and economic forces, sure, but journalism has also delivered a one-two punch to its own jaw.

A fantastic article! "The most creative act a human can engage in is not repeating an answer, it is forming a good question." Truer words have never been spoken. Think about this as you write your research papers!\n

The author of a new book says no, and talks about how a site spawned by an Ayn Rand enthusiast became our most popular encyclopedia. This is an interview about the book. Those of you interested in this should check out the book being discussed.

An open debate about whether college freshman have changed and, if so, why.

The NCAA posted graduation rates that show that their athletes are graduating at record rates this year.

In the past, students with learning disabilities have had trouble finding a way to get extra time to take tests, but new regulations may help change that.

A newspaper article about the large number of Chinese students choosing to study abroad in the United States.

Discusses a study released by researchers at Case Western Reserve University that found a correlation between amount of time teenagers spent text messaging and social networking and their propensity to participate in risky behaviors such as drinking, smoking, doing drugs, and having sex. If anyone is interested in this, you might try tracking down the original Case Western study.

When a food magazine steals a writer's story, Facebook and Twitter lash back -- hilariously An article about what can happen when people outside of the academic community plagiarize.

This is a link to the listing for this book on OhioLINK. It sounds like it might be helpful to those doing research on literacy development, how we learn to read. As the description implies, this might be an easy introduction to a rather complex topic. Wolf, a professor of child development at Tufts University, integrates psychology and archaeology, linguistics and education, history and neuroscience in a truly path-breaking look at the development of the reading brain-a complicated phenomenon that Wolf seeks to chronicle from both the early history of humanity and the early stages of an individual's development ("unlike its component parts such as vision and speech... reading has no direct genetic program passing it on to future generations"). Along the way, Wolf introduces concepts like "word poverty," the situation in which children, by age five, have heard 32 million less words than their counterparts (with chilling long-term effects), and makes time for amusing and affecting anecdotes, like the only child she knew to fake a reading disorder (attempting to get back into his beloved literacy training program). Though it could probably command a book of its own, the sizable third section of the book covers the complex topic of dyslexia, explaining clearly and expertly "what happens when the brain can't learn to read." One of those rare books that synthesizes cutting edge, interdisciplinary research with the inviting tone of a curious, erudite friend (think Malcolm Gladwell), Wolf's first book for a general audience is an eye-opening winner, and deserves a wide readership. (From the description on Amazon.com.)

What the Internet is doing to our brains

An opinion piece written by a mother who grants her child unlimited access to the Internet. The author says that the Internet has helped her children become more intelligent and etter able to compete in an increasingly wired world.

Gallo, Donald R. "How Classics Create an Aliterate Society." English Journal 90.3 (2001): 33. JSTOR. ITHAKA. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. This article discusses how the literature taught to students in high school increases their resistence to reading, creating an increasingly aliterate society. The author writes in an appealing conversational tone, which suits the subject matter. He includes thorough, detailed examples and a list of recommended reading.