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Does College Life Promote or Restrict Eating Disorders?

One of the more perplexing questions involved in psychology concerns eating disorders, especially as they relate to students in college. As institutions of higher learning, on the surface it is puzzling that students would harm their bodies through eating disorders such as anorexia,. Eating disorders are often thought of as a malady that afflicts teenage girls, but a quick glance at most college campuses reveals that anorexia is a major issue across the 18- to 22-year-old demographic as well. While it is true that the myth of the "freshman 15" (in which incoming college students gain 15 pounds during their first year), one question that must also be raised is whether college life can have the inverse effect, promoting eating disorders such as anorexia that involve the starvation of the body.

Attempting to answer whether college campuses promote or limit the tendency to develop an eating disorder is a complex undertaking, since one must account for the difference in the proportion of college students with eating disorders compared with the prevalence of similarly-aged individuals who do not attend college. Furthermore, there are additional considerations that may impact research findings, including socioeconomic status, gender, race, and ethnicity. In this regard, one of the topics for consideration is whether those who come from more privileged upbringings more likely to develop anorexia? Moreover, it may also be the case that different college campuses (liberal arts schools vs. national universities, for example) have varying proclivities for the prevalence at which eating disorders surface.

Because of the substantial peer pressure that characterizes college life, it is likely that college campuses do not eliminate eating disorders in students who suffer from them in high school, and the college environment is also likely a breeding ground for eating disorders in students who do not suffer from them prior to entering college. While in college, students acquire a degree of independence that is far greater than that of their high school experience, and they may be driven to exercise this freedom to dangerous ends.

Another possible explanation for the prevalence of eating disorders on college campuses concerns athletics. Specifically, many students play sports for their college and are required to maintain a body weight that may be difficult; such weight restrictions are especially prevalent in sports that involve heavy amounts of cardiovascular activity, such as swimming or cross-country running. While many of these students performed in the same sports while in high school, the competition is stronger in college and they may feel even greater pressure to do well for themselves and their team. Without their parents nearby to offer guidance on how to do with such pressure, they may be driven to make the unfortunate choice of starving their body.

It is likely that anorexia is often triggered by circumstances that place a student in a situation where they do not have appealing food options. Without the food they crave, a student may then decide to starve themselves and enjoy the psychological high that results. Lack of appealing dining options may be another contributing factor for eating disorders on college campuses. Many colleges require all students (particularly those who are in their freshman year) to consume all meals in a college cafeteria, and the food options may be limited and unappealing, particularly for students who are already health-conscious. In general, college dining halls offer a wide array of dining options, but comparably few that are healthy. While there is almost always a salad bar, the salad ingredients are often less than fresh, with lettuce that has remained unrefrigerated for hours on end, insipid carrots, and a litany of relatively bland, uncooked vegetables. Students who enjoy nourishing meals filled with creative vegetable preparations while in high school will be sorely disappointed when they arrive at college, and the alternatives to the salad bar are very unhealthy. Many colleges post the caloric values of the dining options, and the totals are frighteningly high; burgers, pizza, and cream-based pastas fill out the roster of "main course" options, leaving little room for students to delicious meals that are also healthy. With no appealing healthy options (and not wanting to eat unhealthily), students may turn to starvation and become addicted to the psychological "high" that they acquire from as a result.

A research study attempting to measure whether the college experience promotes anorexia must account for the difference in likelihood of developing an eating disorder for a student who is in college vs. one who is not in college. In order to test the relationship between college and eating disorders, the study would monitor the weight of 10 students from the same high school who enter college and the weight of 10 students (from the same high school as the other group) who did not enter college. The independent variable for the study would be age; it is necessary for each of the subjects to be an identical age, since the study must account for the fact that eating disorders are to a large extent influenced by age. Another independent variable would be gender; the study would focus on females, not only because eating disorders are more common amongst women but also because the contributing factors contributing to eating disorders may be different between genders. It is essential that the study be manageable, and formatting the experiment to address both genders would enlarge the scope to an unreasonable degree.

There are also dependent variables for consideration. First of all, the most significant dependent variable concerns whether or not the student is in college. As discussed above, students in college are faced with many environmental conditions that may contribute to the development of anorexia. However, there may also be factors contributing to an eating disorder among students who decide against going to college. Another dependent variable is the socioeconomic status of the students involved in the study. It may be the case that students who come from rich families may be more likely to acquire an eating disorder. On the other hand, those who do not attend college and have no money may develop a psychological objection to food borne out of their need to save money. Accordingly, the study must account not only for whether the students are in college but also their socioeconomic status.