A report from University of New Hampshire shows that college students, 18—24, are on the path to chronic health problems. Data collected from 800+ undergraduates find 1/3 are overweight, 8% of the males have metabolic syndrome, 60% of the males have high blood pressure, and 2/3 of of the females do not meet their nutritional needs for iron, calcium, or folate.

Both males and females fell far short of meeting minimum requirements for fiber—95% of the females and 82% of the males. One positive note is that there were very few smokers.

Generally, the students thought that they were healthier than they really are, which is a misperception shared with the general public when thinking of 18—24 year-old college students.