WACO, Texas (ABP) — On the heels of a Purdue University study that listed Baptists as the most obese religious group in America, Baptist-affiliated Baylor University has been recognized as one of America's fittest schools.
The study, published in the October issue of Men's Fitness magazine, labeled the Waco, Texas, school the nation's ninth-most-fit university. The survey focused on factors like student intake of fast food, alcohol and cigarettes; student levels of exercise and sleep; the availability of fresh fruit and nutritionists on campus; and the general campus culture for fitness. The magazine, in conjunction with the Princeton Review, questioned 12,500 students at the nation's top institutions for the report.
Baylor was the only Baptist-affiliated school on the list. Other schools included No. 4 Wheaton College in Illinois; No. 6 Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota; No. 7 Grove City College in Pennsylvania; No. 8 Texas Christian University in Fort Worth; and No. 19 Roanoke College in Virginia. Catholic-affiliated Boston College was ranked No. 3.
Kim Scott, the director of campus recreation at Baylor, said the school promotes a holistic lifestyle because habits students learn in college will serve them long after they leave the school.
“We wanted to make a statement that our students deserve the best there is — not just varsity athletes — so we did just that,” she said in a press release.
Scott was instrumental in choosing the equipment and scheme for Baylor's 156,000-square-foot fitness facility. The McLane Student Life Center includes a running track, basketball and volleyball courts, a pool and a freestanding rock-climbing wall.
The presence of a new, large and well-equipped recreation center was a factor boosting several colleges in the study. According to Steve Kintigh, TCU's director of campus recreation, Baylor and TCU are the only two Southern schools on the list. They're also the only two in Texas that have relatively new fitness facilities.
“I couldn't prove to you that we're thinner or healthier than any other school, but the rec center is a big draw,” he said. “We're competing with mid-range schools, and this center is one of the things that separates us.”
TCU built its 232,000-square-foot center in 2003. Baylor built its center in 1998.
Richard Kreider, the director of Baylor's Center for Exercise, Nutrition and Preventative Health Research, said the Purdue study made good points about fitness levels among Baptists, although any study should be “taken with a grain of salt.”
“I think the study makes some good points when it comes to obesity, especially within Baptist circles,” he said. “We need to promote activity, living healthy lifestyles, and eating right.”
In the Men's Fitness story, each school received four grades based on the student responses. Baylor received an A- for limited intake of fast food, cigarettes and alcohol; a B- for the amount of physical activity and sleep each week; an A- for school offerings of fresh fruit and extended gym hours; and an A for having a campus culture of fitness.
TCU received a C-minus for intake; an A- for exercise and sleep; an A+ for school offers of fruit; and a B for its culture of fitness.
And despite the “pleasant surprise” at being ranked on the list, Kintigh stressed that academics still take first priority at TCU. Of course, he added, physical fitness often helps in that department too.
“Exercise helps you sleep, it gives you a clear mind, it helps you handle stress,” he said. “And frankly, this is a facility that makes people feel good about themselves and the campus.”
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