subject: Obesity Can Spread From Person to Person [print this page] Obesity Can Spread From Person to Person Obesity Can Spread From Person to Person
Obesity can spread from person to person, just like a virus. Researchers from famous institutions, including Harvard, University of California, and Duke report that when a person gains weight, close friends tend to gain weight, too. The people you "hang out with" can influence your weight, happiness, depression, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, and other aspects of your health.
Individuals have genetically determined ranges of weight, spanning perhaps 30 or so pounds for each person. This leaves a big role for environmental factors to determine whether your weight will fall near the top or the bottom of the range.
The new research indicates that something in the environment has created an "obesity epidemic." Part of this may come from a perception of what is an acceptable look or weight. Another part may be due to "modeling" of behaviors through our social networks. One thing is clear though, social networks have lead to the spread of obesity rapidly.
The Studies:
One of the most important studies in this area is a study known as the Framingham Heart study. It was a collaborative study between Harvard and University of California, San Diego, spanning six decades and involving more than 12,000 participants. This very cited study concluded that behaviors or habits such as alcohol consumption, eating habits, or smoking habits, spread through social networks.
The researchers reported that having an obese friend increased people's chances of becoming obese by 57 percent. If they had a sibling who became obese, the chances were increased by 40 per cent, and by 37 percent if they had a spouse who became obese in a given interval. The same applied to alcohol consumption.
One of the principal investigators in the study suggested that friends affect each others' perception of fatness. When a close friend becomes obese, obesity may not look so bad. You may change your idea of what is an acceptable body type by looking at the people around you.
However, another study suggests that it is your friends' behavior that affects your behavior, not the physical appearance itself. In that study, conducted by Duke, University of British Columbia, and Arizona State University, the researchers concluded that participants simply model the behavior of their companions regardless of the companion's size. The researchers concluded that the size of the person you dine with matters much less than the size of their meal. If a heavy-set colleague eats a lot, you are likely to adjust your behavior. However, a thin friend who eats a lot may lead you to eat even more. In other words, a companion's unhealthy habit was followed more strongly where the behavior came from a person to whom the participant may have wanted to be similar.
Conclusion:
The old adage that you are the company you keep has been supported by research. What your friends eat and do influences what you eat and do. Does this mean that we should stop socializing with obese people or people with bad eating habits? Not necessarily. We do need to be aware of the effects of our social circle on our behaviors and perceptions. However, if social networks can promote negative habits, they might also be used to promote positive ones.
So, if your friends eat healthy and exercise regularly, you are more likely to eat healthy and exercise regularly as well. Positive eating and exercise habits can become a positive epidemic. Each of us should consider becoming an agent of positive change when it comes to being fit, healthy, and following good eating habits. Instead of experiencing an obesity epidemic, our joint futures could see a fitness and health epidemic!
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