NC State is now among the first of twenty universities to join the Healthier Campus Initiative sponsored by the Partnership for a Healthier America.
The program, which was announced in November, aims to help college students develop healthy habits and sustain them long term according to Justin Hammond, the Director for Marketing and Communications for the Division of Academic & Student Affairs.
“When students come into their first year in college, they become overweight and obese at rates increasing more than 15 percent,” Hammond said.
Many college students don’t meet dietary and physical activity guidelines, according to statistics from the Partnership for a Healthier America.
“This is also when students start making their habits in life,” Hammond said. “We want to encourage them to make healthy choices now and hopefully it will carry throughout their lives.”
In joining the initiative, NC State agreed to meet several guidelines aimed at helping combat health risk factors on campus.
Logan Perry, a senior studying civil engineering serves as a student chair on the University Dining Committee. According to Perry, University Dining will play a role in combating health risks by improving healthy eating options in on-campus dining venues.
“I think there’s a lot of healthy choices available in the dining halls, but I think the healthy stuff lacks in a lot of the places I visit, such as Talley, and the Oval at night especially,” Perry said. “It’s difficult for students who solely go to Talley or the Atrium to get healthier foods.”
The guidelines of the Healthier Campus Initiative will be most noticeable in the dining venues on campus outside the dining halls once implemented, according to Perry.
“I don’t like that the Oval doesn’t serve any vegetables at night,” Perry said. “The food is good, but there are no healthy options there.”
Perry said he is looking forward to seeing the Healthier Campus Initiative making changes and introducing more healthy options all around.
“I think it has great potential to help,” Perry said.
University Recreation will also partner with the university as part of the Healthier Campus Initiative. Multiple new programs will be added in hopes of helping students reach physical activity guidelines, Hammond said.
“One of the guidelines includes offering at least twenty diverse recreation and physical activity or competitive sports opportunities during each academic year and providing trained physical activity professionals on campus at the facilities,” Hammond said.
According to Hammond, NC State has been implementing healthy initiatives far before this program, so the changes being made will be more subtle.
“A lot of the goals we already do, so we have a leg up in that regard,” Hammond said. “However, University Recreation will be providing an outdoor fitness system, rentals of outdoor recreation equipment and programs for students; and we have the bikes on campus that you can rent.”
As a busy student it is difficult to meet the recommended guidelines for physical fitness. Perry said he is looking forward to the increased opportunities for outdoor physical activity provided by the Initiative.
“We have great facilities, but if I’m going to go for a run, I like to go outside,” Perry said.
The campaign will include advertising on Wolfline buses.
“We are a part of this initiative and we are going to encourage students to eat healthier, like when they’re choosing food, to pick the apple over the brownie,” Hammond said.
