Everyone is filled with enthusiasm for healthy living at this time of the year. Of course, the trick is to make those New Year's resolutions last!

If you're like most parents, you're concerned about your children's health as well as your own. But now that they're in college, it can be hard to know when you've crossed the line from concerned to meddling. And nobody likes to be nagged about eating and exercising, especially when they're testing their new independence.

As our children leave high school and become young adults, our ability to have any say in what they eat, how much sleep they get, and their level of physical activity diminishes drastically. We can, however, provide learning opportunities by setting examples of healthy eating and giving tips when appropriate.

By keeping an open line of communication with your children while they are in college, you can help them as they face the challenges of staying healthy on campus.

As students begin their first year of college, they may ask themselves many questions: What will my professors be like? How difficult will the homework be? Who will do my laundry for me?

But as important as the answers to these questions are, there is an even greater question that students should be concentrating on: How well will I handle the responsibility of keeping myself healthy?

College students are notorious for their bad eating habits. Many students tell stories of late-night pizza, potato chip lunches and greasy dorm food. And junk food is not the only dietary problem that can occur in a new student's life. Skipping meals is common when class schedules are tight. After all, why have breakfast when you could stay in bed for another 15 minutes instead?

When your kids leave home and start to cook for themselves, or eat at residences, healthy eating habits learned at home will come back to them -- we hope! Sometimes we aren't convinced as we see chip bags and soda cans everywhere in their bedrooms at home or their rooms at residences.

Often, college students go through a period of "free-for-all" eating in order to enjoy their new freedom. Eventually, however, they should settle into the patterns they learned at home.

If you're comfortable having the discussion, help your college student learn the skill of menu planning. Have your son or daughter list some healthy snacks that they will actually eat. Take your kids grocery shopping with you or have them go alone after you have made the grocery list together. Teach them how to shop.

The poor decisions many students make with regard to their diets go hand in hand with another problem common among college freshmen: lack of exercise. Fortunately, there are plenty of options on most campuses, from gyms to outdoor clubs. When you're touring or visiting campuses check out the different recreation options available.

Another of the stereotypes surrounding college students is severe sleep deprivation. While many laugh sleep deprivation off as a joke, it can become quite serious.

The combination of poor diet, lack of exercise, sleep deprivation and an overwhelming homework load can really add up. When that happens, these minor physical hardships can lead to much greater health risks.

When a student's immune system is weakened, it leaves that student defenseless against many harmful diseases present in the college environment. One of these diseases, which can sometimes be lethal, is meningococcal meningitis.

"Meningitis is actually an inflammation of the meninges that cover the spinal cord," says epidemiologist Larry Shireley. Symptoms include a stiff neck, a headache, sore eyes and a rash.

"Freshmen living in dormitories may be at an increased risk of meningitis. It can be transmitted primarily through respiratory secretions from person to person, such as sharing a cigarette, sodas, obviously through very close personal contact -- kissing, or saliva."

If your child hasn't received a meningococcal meningitis vaccine, talk to them about the availability of a vaccine at their college, or encourage them to raise this with their doctor.

You'll also want to make sure your student has a comprehensive health insurance plan -- just in case. You may want to compare any health insurance offered by their school with your workplace plan to make sure their health insurance is right for their medical needs.