Student Presenter(s): Ashley Delbrune, Brian Siuni, Giddeon Lim
Faculty Mentor: Melissa Huey
Department: Behavioral Sciences
School/College: College of Arts and Sciences, Long Island

COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, was first identified in December of 2019. Given the novelty of the virus, many did not understand the severity of the virus and the impact it would have on our nation in the months to come. COVID-19 is a pandemic that puts a strong toll of stress along with weight gain on many young college students. Due to quarantine and the separation amongst fellow classmates and what we would consider as a normal college experience, students may be experiencing increased stress and weight gain during this time period.

The purpose of our research is to examine different college students from different universities' stress levels and weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the confines of being able to go to public spaces and socialize, it is likely that college students are experiencing increased stress, which is associated with increased weight gain. We will be recruiting students to take place in a short survey that is related to stress and weight gain, prior and post COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of this research study, we expect to find a better understanding on why COVID-19 impacted stress and weight gain on college students, and how they are able to recover. We are looking to recruit college students from New York to conduct a short survey in gathering information to help us better understand the impact that COVID-19 had on college students in terms of stress and weight gain.