Obesity Research Franklin and Marshall College

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Franklin and Marshall College is a four-year private, liberal arts institution that can be found in the city og Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is the 25th oldest college or university that can be located thoughout the United States. It was founded in the year 1787, where it has gained a reputaiton as being one of the most celebrated liberal arts colleges within the U.S. When it comes to obesity research, there have been many students who have attended and passed through the college who have focused on obesity research, as well as eating trends and surgery regarding obesity.

Some of the topics and diciplines include Jill K. Townsend who graduated from Franklin and Marshall College and researched and wrote about “Eating Under Heightened Anxiety: The Roles of Self-Esteem, Depression and Body Image.” with the help of research advisor, Dr. Michael Penn. A 1991 graduate of Franklin and Marshall College, Stephen Merola, MD studied and researched Laparoscopic Surgery. He later became the director of the Minimally Invasive and Obesity Surgery Programs

Another obesity research project involving Franklin and Marshall College includes a study titled, “Eating Concerns on Two Christian and Two Nonsectarian College Campuses: A Measure of Sex and Campus Differences in Attitudes Toward Eating” It was led and written by Cook, K.V.; Reiley, K.L.; published during the Summer of 1991 in the publication, Adolescence (Vol. 26 Issue 102 - p273, 14p).

The research dealt with the eating concerns among college men and women who resided at two different campuses. The subjects possessed a Christian world-view. Two other campuses were involved: two nonsectarian campuses. The campuses came from different sections throughout the country. They were examined using three experiments that followed the Wellesley Eating Attitudes Survey.

In the end, chi-square tests showed that eating concerns were significantly more frequent among women than men. But there was a higher degree of concern among men than what was expected. The various campuses differed in regards to their level of concern. The four sections that the subjects originated from the Northeast, West, Midwest and South. The study showed that the level of concern regarding obesity seemed not to be affected by the presence of a strong Christian faith.

Main Points Concerning the Obesity Research involving Franklin and Marshall College

1) In the study, Franklin and Marshall College, which is a nonsectarian four-year liberal arts college was compared to Gordon College, which is one of the colleges that has a Christian world-view.

2) Young Christian women have been found not to worry about obesity any less than women who are not religious.

3) Eating disorders and fears of becoming obese seem to occur about nine times more frequently in women than men. It was concluded that the difference is caused by the social and psychological consequences of being overweight that seem to be more important or extreme for women.

4) The study revealed that 20% of Gordon men expressed significant concern with their weight while 55% of Franklin and Marshall men and 71% of Georgia Southern men expressed concern.

5) The study showed that the women at Franklin and Marshall appeared more concerned with their weight and obesity issues than those at Georgia Southern. 

6) 95% of Franklin and Marshall students stated that eating is a campus-wide concern among the female population.