It's known that genetics and lifestyle influence weight. Now, a study sheds light on the effects that family and friends can have on weight.
Harvard Medical School researchers analyzed data collected for more than three decades from 12,067 adults. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that an adult's chances of becoming obese increase by 57% when a friend became obese, 40% when a sibling became obese, and 37% when a spouse became obese.
The findings suggest that when someone close to you gains weight, you may be more accepting of your own weight gain and the two of you can influence each other's behavior.
This research has prompted much media hype suggesting that friends can make you fat or that obesity is contagious. But the researchers stress that this isn't the way the study should be interpreted. Rather, they say the study showed the potential for family and friends to influence behavior in negative and positive ways.
This new insight can be used to help design weight loss and healthy lifestyle programs that use peer support and influence to make positive changes in eating and physical activity habits.
What This Means to You
This study was conducted over more than three decades and did not include kids and teens.
Parents should not use these findings to discourage friendships with overweight children or justify the social stigmas they already face. A variety of factors influence a person's weight, including genetics and environment, like family and friends' eating and activity habits. The new research suggests that, among adults, social cues about what's "normal" also play a role.
It's common for kids, especially as they grow into teens, to be influenced by their friends and peers. What "everyone else" is doing can also influence their choices when it comes to behaviors like smoking, drinking, drug use, and even what kind of food they eat when they're together.
But just as parents can mitigate peer pressure for something like smoking, they can also moderate the social influences that affect kids weight.
When kids are young, parents can ground kids in healthy habits for eating and being physically active, creating an environment that fosters those habits, and setting good examples. If parents enjoy eating healthy foods, sensible portions, and being active every day, kids will be more likely to as well. That will be their "normal."
Here are ways that parents can help kids develop healthy habits:
- Promote physical activity. Encourage kids to be active every day. Whether via team sports or a non-competitive solo pursuit, find activities that fit their abilities and temperaments.
- Control the food-supply lines. Stock up on healthy foods; limit those with added sugar and fat and low nutritional value.
- Limit screen time: Limit the sedentary time that your kids spend in front of the TV and computer and playing video games to less than 2 hours each day.
- Encourage mindful eating. Teach your kids to heed internal signals of hunger or fullness, and help them develop good strategies for coping with moods like boredom and anxiety, which can often prompt mindless eating.
- Nurture health from the inside out. Encourage hobbies and friendships that nurture your kids' self-esteem and confidence. Kids who have a strong sense of themselves will be equipped to deal with peer pressures and influences down the road.
- Set a good example. Eat healthy and be active every day, and show kids how much you enjoy it and how good it makes you feel. What parents practice has much more of an impact than what they preach!
And finally, encourage your kids to develop a diverse group of friends.
Make it clear that you have zero tolerance for name-calling or stereotyping of kids who are overweight or different in any other way. Help your child develop a sense of empathy for those who stand out. Watch your own attitudes, comments, and behavior to make sure that you aren't subtly endorsing social stigmas or sending the message that it's OK to dismiss or shun others just because they're different.
If parents instill healthy values and habits in kids early on, kids will be prepared to handle and interpret whatever social influences they encounter as they grow.
Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: July 2007
