mobile health

Why is the “freshmen 15” phenomenon so common?

Taylor Thomas — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 14:49:18 +0000

Why is the “freshmen 15” phenomenon so common? Taylor Thomas Tue, 11/04/2025 - 09:49

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Do not schedule eight AM classes. Communicate with your roommate. Wash your bedding regularly. Incoming college students are offered numerous pieces of advice before stepping onto campus. Arguably, one of the most common is to beware of the “freshman 15.” But why is weight gain among first-year students so universal that it has earned such a notorious reputation?

An �鶹��Ƶ interdisciplinary research team led by Y. Alicia Hong, professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy who studies mobile and wearable technologies, found that the college environment lends itself to habits that increase food intake and subsequent weight gain.

“Social and environmental factors are key determinants of eating behavior,” said Hong. "College students are affected by the eating environment, especially where they eat and whom they eat with. Our research found that they consume more calories when eating in groups or formal dining settings."

Over the course of four weeks, college students self-recorded daily eating behaviors, environment, and mood and stress levels using a mobile app. App-logged responses indicated participants eat more when in groups of two or more and in locations such as dining halls or restaurants. Conversely, food intake was less when alone or at home.

College students are unaware of their eating habits, findings suggest. Analysis revealed that students’ perceptions of their food consumption did not align with the caloric intake logged. Factors related to gender and emotion also contributed to the complex nature of dietary behavior.

“College students’ eating behaviors are complex, with individual, interpersonal, and environmental factors interacting to influence dietary intake. This research underscores the importance of context in dietary intervention and incorporating digital tools for dietary assessment,” said Hong.

The research team included Distinguished University Professor Larry Cheskin in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy Hong Xue, and George �鶹��Ƶ alumna Jo-Vivian Yu, BS Health Adminstration '21, MS Health Informatics '22.

The Dynamics of Eating Behaviors and Eating Environment in College Students: Discrepancies Between App-Tracked Dietary Intake and Self-Perceived Food Consumption was published in mHealth on October 29, 2025. The study was funded by the �鶹��Ƶ College of Public Health Pilot Grant (PI: YAH).

�鶹��Ƶ the researchers

Y. Alicia Hong is a professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy at �鶹��Ƶ. She is an expert in behavioral interventions with a research interest in the intersection of health services delivery and consumer informatics. Her work primarily explores chronic care and self-care solutions through innovative digital technologies, aiming to improve patient-centered outcomes and enhance healthcare accessibility. Hong’s research focuses on implementation and dissemination science, and leveraging digital technologies to enhance health services delivery.

Larry Cheskin is a distinguished university professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies and adjunct professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Cheskin has dedicated his career to research, education, and program building to enhance people’s diets and combat obesity. He founded the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, a multidisciplinary clinical research and treatment program. His work has impacted the problem of obesity through innovative treatment programs, and in community-based participatory research among the underserved in urban areas. He also developed mHealth tailored to the behavioral characteristics of the recipient to combat obesity.

Hong Xue is an associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy. He currently serves as the Chair of the Tobacco Free Alliance of Virginia. Xue conducts interdisciplinary research in public health and in particular, integrates economics, nutrition, epidemiology, systems science, health informatics and machine learning in studying multilevel mechanisms and factors (e.g., from policy to behavior) related to obesity and non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs), and tobacco use. Dr. Xue's research has been widely published in top journals and featured in national media, contributing significantly to both domestic and global NCD control efforts.

Jo-Vivian Yu holds a Master of Science in Data Analytics and a Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics from �鶹��Ƶ. Her academic and research background reflects a strong interdisciplinary foundation at the intersection of data science, technology, and public health. She has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed studies focused on health behavior and population health, using digital tools and data analytics to investigate the impact of social and environmental factors on health outcomes.

Thumbnail photo by Rosalind Chang via unsplash.

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College of Public Health

�鶹��Ƶ researchers develop first social media intervention for Chinese American dementia caregivers

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:06:40 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ researchers develop first social media intervention for Chinese American dementia caregivers Mary Cunningham Wed, 11/02/2022 - 10:06

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Y. Alicia Hong, PhD

Led by Alicia Hong, professor of Health Administration and Policy, the interdisciplinary team developed a culturally-tailored WeChat wellness program to improve caregiver skills and reduce their stress.

More than 6 million Americans aged 65 years and older are living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias (ADRD). More than 11 million family caregivers of ADRD provide an estimated 15.3 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $255.7 billion a year. Family caregivers of ADRD experience high rates of psychosocial distress and negative health outcomes. Minority and immigrant family caregivers face additional barriers; however, few culturally tailored mobile health (mHealth) were designed for these populations.

To address this public health need, �鶹��Ƶ researcher Alicia Hong, professor of Health Administration and Policy, led a multidisciplinary research team to develop Wellness Enhancement for Caregivers (WECARE) program to improve caregiving skills, reduce distress, and improve psychosocial well-being of underserved Chinese American family caregivers of ADRD. The protocol development of WECARE was recently published on JMIR Aging. To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, this is the first culturally tailored social media-based interventions for Chinese American dementia caregivers.

According to Hong, several cultural factors can influence caregivers’ experience. Chinese American family caregivers tend to keep problems within the family and do not seek external help because of the stigma associated with dementia and their cultural value of “saving the face.” The isolation is exacerbated by their minority and immigrant status, and those without English proficiency are further marginalized. Caregivers have limited knowledge and use of formal care and support services; they are also disconnected from “mainstream” dementia support groups due to language and cultural barriers.

“We developed this wellness program for Chinese American caregivers with the specific barriers they face in mind. We wanted them to see themselves in the program and get the most out of it to help them and the family member they care for. We hope more mHealth interventions can be developed for immigrant and minority caregivers,” said Hong.

WECARE is a seven-week mHealth program delivered via WeChat, a social media app popular among Chinese Americans. By subscribing to the WECARE official account, users can receive multiple interactive multimedia articles pushed to their WeChat accounts each week. Users also have the option of joining group chats for peer support.

Other team members of WECARE include Kang Shen, a recent �鶹��Ƶ graduate from the Health Informatics master’s program; Kate Lu and Hsiaoyin Chen from Chinese Culture and Community Center, Inc; Yang Gong of University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Biomedical Informatics; Van Ta Park of University of California San Francisco School of Nursing; and Hae-Ra Han of Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

The team is currently testing the feasibility and effectiveness of WECARE. The study was funded by Virginia Center for Aging Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases Research Award Fund. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of �鶹��Ƶ.

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Faculty Receive CHHS Office of Research Grants for Proposals: Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic to a Healthy Path Forward

mthomp7 — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 01:02:40 +0000

Faculty Receive CHHS Office of Research Grants for Proposals: Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic to a Healthy Path Forward mthomp7 Wed, 04/07/2021 - 21:02

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Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD

Carol Cleaveland, PhD

Y. Alicia Hong, PhD

Farrokh Alemi, PhD

CHHS Faculty Receive Grants to Study Impacts of COVID, Particularly on Under-Represented and Vulnerable Populations

The CHHS Office of Research has awarded four grants for faculty studying COVID-19 and its many impacts, particularly on vulnerable populations’ physical and mental health. Grant recipients were chosen by a panel of �鶹��Ƶ faculty outside the College and were scored using the 1-9 scale used by the National Institutes of Health. Reviewers assessed the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved and provided an overall impact score based on individual review criteria, scientific merit, the relevance of the project to public health, and having a well-defined plan to apply the funding.

Farrok Alemi’s proposal titled “Impact of On-Demand In-Home Testing, Symptom Screening, and Contact Tracing on Infection Control” was awarded $36,777. The proposal will allow Alemi to build on an existing study and the extensive work already completed by the research team, including a comprehensive online symptom screening that includes respiratory, neurological, gastrointestinal, inflammatory, and general symptoms of COVID-19. With the additional funding, the team will study the impact of rapid, on-demand, combined (1) symptom screening, (2) in-home testing, and (3) contact tracing on COVID-19 infection control. This pilot project will help the team compete for the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The project includes the participation of Amira Roess, Janusz Wojtusiak, and Jee Vang.

Lawrence Cheskin was awarded $50,000 for the proposal, “COVID-19's Impact on Mental Health and College Retention Among Under-Resourced/ Underrepresented Undergraduates and their Peers: A Digital Health Solution.” The study seeks to develop a data-driven, predictive, and proactive digital health solution to support students’ mental health and increase college success and retention. The solution will specifically focus on the health of students from low-income and underrepresented populations, who are at greater risk for mental illness and subsequently have greater need for a COVID-19 related intervention. The study will examine the effect that a digital, proactive tool will have on the population’s mental well-being and academic success. This study leverages an existing project with internal GMU funding. The project includes the participation of Lawrence Cheskin, Huzefa Rangwala, Alison Cuellar, and Erika Kennedy.

Carol Cleaveland was awarded $26,000 for the proposal, “COVID-19 Among Latinos in the Informal/Secondary Economic Sector.” The study will examine the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on Latinos and hypotheses related to the population’s work in the informal sector, defined as jobs that are low-paying, do not offer benefits such as sick pay, and are typically paid in cash. Latinos have been particularly hard hit, with public health officials linking disease rates to high numbers of this population working in essential jobs, such as cleaning, meatpacking, and caregiving. This study will address a key barrier to COVID-19 mitigation: the question of how environmental factors, as well as behaviors, may render this population more vulnerable to SARS-coV-2 exposure in comparison to others, particularly with respect to employment and housing arrangements. This study will illuminate the potential exposure caused by informal sector work, providing data that is not available through conventional aggregations of labor statistics. The project includes participation of 25 Latino informal sector workers and uses both qualitative research and machine learning to contextualize potential virus exposure. Cleaveland is partnering with co-PI Janusz Wojtusiak in this pilot study.

Alicia Hong’s proposal, “Prototype development of EARBUD: A wearable sensor system for dietary monitoring and personalized intervention,” was awarded $50,000. This study aims to collect data to develop the prototype of a non-intrusive wearable sensor of EARBUD (Eating and Relevant Behaviors Under Detection), which is based on a pair of commercially available earbuds and supported by artificial intelligence-(AI) based algorithms for real-time data analytics. The EARBUD collects and deciphers information of 1) food type, 2) food quantity, 3) eating pattern, 4) eating location, 5) social interaction at eating, and 6) affective status. These real-time data will be integrated with the user’s personal information for personalized intervention delivered to the user via the EARBUD. The prototype will allow the research team to mitigate the negative impacts of pandemic-related unhealthy eating and nutrition-related poor health outcomes in vulnerable populations. This study will provide important preliminary data to develop the first AI-supported non-intrusive, socially acceptable nutrition monitoring system for personalized intervention. The project includes the participation of Dr. Hong Xue of Dept Health Administration and Policy, Dr. Larry Cheskin from Dept of Nutrition and Food Science, and Dr. Gang Zhou, a computer scientist from the College of William and Mary.

Topics

coronavirus; covid-19