ISSN 1662-4009 (online)

ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology (2018) 15 14.18 | DOI: 10.1530/ey.15.14.18

ESPEYB15 14 Science and Medicine Be careful what your friends think (1 abstracts)

14.18 Assessing Social Contagion in Body Mass Index, Overweight, and Obesity Using a Natural Experiment

Datar A & Nicosia N


Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
RAND Corporation, Boston, MA, USA


To read the full abstract: JAMA Pediatr 2018;172:239-246

Social contagion refers to the spreading of a behaviour, idea, attitude, or even an emotion, across a social group due to imitation and conformity by its members. The idea that obesity may spread due to social contagion is based on its observed clustering across networks of individuals, who are joined by other types of social similarities (e.g. friendships and residences). However, previous analyses were based on observational data and are prone to confounding and self-selection into social networks. This study took a unique approach, leveraging the natural experiment of military assignment, which except in rare cases is beyond the control of the individual. The findings show that families who are assigned to US counties with higher rates of obesity are more likely to be overweight or obese. The effects strengthened with longer duration of residence. The findings were not explained by differences in the built environment that might influence outdoor physical activity. In our efforts to control overweight and obesity, we need to understand and tackle the ‘social norms’ held by populations and population subgroups, which can often foster unhealthy attitudes, beliefs and behaviours towards food, exercise, and weight status, even from very early ages (1).

1. Guell C, Whittle F, Ong KK, Lakshman R. Toward Understanding How Social Factors Shaped a Behavioral Intervention on Healthier Infant Formula-Feeding. Qual Health Res 2018;28:1320-1329.

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