Passage 2 Fat Is A Student Issue
大一新生綜合癥 《衛(wèi)報(bào)》
[00:00]It is a phenomenon painfully familiar to anyone who has returned home for Christmas
[00:07]at the end of their first term at university only to be greeted
[00:12]by their friends with horrified - or amused - stares.
[00:17]The first taste of the world of unlimited bargain-priced pints, kebabs,
[00:24]and chips and cheese often leads in only one direction:
[00:29]the delicately named Fat Fresher Syndrome. And as late nights,
[00:35]chocolate-fuelled essay crises and, eventually, exam pressures become the norm,
[00:42]student weight gain can often be a one-way street.
[00:47]In the US - where the problem with new students is known as Freshers 15,
[00:54]in reference to the average of 15lb that undergraduates generally put on
[01:01]during their first year - the authorities at one college have decided it's time to act.
[01:09]Lincoln University in Pennsylvania told its students that those who were classified
[01:17]as obese after a mandatory body mass index check had to take a class
[01:25]to teach them healthy living, and that anyone who refused would not get their degree.
[01:33]The university has since relaxed its stance and, although taking the class is encouraged,
[01:40]it is no longer compulsory.
[01:43]But America is not the only country with a growing obesity problem.
[01:51]Are the bulging waistlines of students a welfare issue
[01:56]in which higher education institutions in the UK should be intervening in a similar way?
[02:04]The general consensus is that, despite their youthfulness, students are grown-ups,
[02:11]and must be treated as such. Universities have no legal duty of care
[02:18]to ensure they remain a healthy weight. Nonetheless,
[02:23]universities should and do encourage healthier living.
[02:30]Aside from concerns about obesity and ill health,
[02:35]many universities are also considering how healthy eating can improve learning.
[02:43]Several universities are accredited by the Food for the Brain scheme,
[02:49]which recognizes catering that provides the right nutrients
[02:55]to fuel optimal brain function, including memory, concentration,
[03:01]mood and mental clarity. Leicester has talked to a nutritionist,
[03:08]who also interviewed students about their food,
[03:12]to find out how better eating could enhance academic performance.
[03:19]And the signs from the students themselves are more encouraging
[03:23]than some might anticipate. Bournemouth University had to dismantle a "pie bar",
[03:31]selling deep fried pies and chips, due to a lack of sales,
[03:36]and at Anglia Ruskin a recent change to the use of the student union facilities
[03:44]tells an unexpected tale.
