Nutrition and medical experts at Kansas University are working hard to educate and counsel students about the value of maintaining a healthful weight.

For instance, every student who comes to the Watkins Memorial Health Center is tested to determine their Body Mass Index (BMI), according to Myra Strother, chief of the center’s medical staff.

“We’ve set ourselves to do this on every student; we’ve made (measuring) it a vital sign,” Strother says.

BMI is a tool for indicating weight status in adults.

“Obesity is increasing at an epidemic rate in the United States. We’re seeing more students coming to the university who are already a little overweight. Then you add the freshman 15 on top of that, and they may be getting into a BMI situation where they’re starting to get effects on their health immediately,” Strother says.

Weight gain can be accompanied by the development of diabetes, plus increased blood pressure, cholesterol and blood lipids.

“This is one of our last chances to do good health education with students, so they understand what’s happening, and also provide some guidance and lifestyle changes so they don’t develop the medical problems that come with being overweight,” Strother says.

Gaining weight in college can spell problems down the road.

“When they’re in college, they’re learning the lifestyles that will go on the rest of their lives. If you’re not getting enough exercise, and you’re eating unhealthily, you may have difficulties the rest of your life,” Strother says.

“It’s important to learn how to make healthy choices, from how much you consume to how active you stay.”

To learn more about BMI, and how to calculate your own, visit the Web site of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, www.cdc.gov and select the topic “BMI Body Mass Index.”