The Energy Value of Self-Selected Diets Consumed by Young College Women

Abstract

The average height, 163.9 cm, and the average weight, 56.7 kg, of 89 Texas college women are greater than those given by the National Research Council for 16- to 20-year-old girls and for 25-year-old women. Sixty-six of the women were within the weight range for height, 11 were underweight and 12 overweight. The average daily caloric intake was 2103 ± 211 and 2101 ± 183 for group I (under 20 years) and 2158 ± 216 and 2141 ± 206 for group II (over 20 years) when distributed on the basis of the height and the weight of the individuals. Thirty-three of group I and 22 of group II (60% of 89) consuming 13 Cal./cm maintained their weights on such an intake.