You are more likely to gain weight when your friends around you are heavier than you, according to a recent study conducted in Chicago.
There is a high probability of gaining weight if students have friends who are heavier than them. On the other hand, students are likely to lose weight if their friends around them are slimmer than they are, according to Dr. David Shoham, an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine & Epidemiology of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, and his fellow researchers.
The team designed a study to determine why obesity appears clustered in social groups, and to find out whether friends influence one another’s behavior.
The researchers picked 1,775 students from two high schools and surveyed them from 1994 to 95 and surveyed them again in the next year. They calculated students’ body mass index (BMI) from their height and weight. A student with BMI over 25 is considered overweight and one with BMI over 30 is considered obese.
The study shows that when an overweight student had slender friends, there was a 40% chance that the student’s BMI would drop in the future. However, if they had obese friends, they have only a 15% chance of slimming down.
Researchers said, “The result revealed that social influence is more likely to operate in detrimental directions.”
“Effective interventions will be necessary to overcome these barriers, requiring that social networks be considered rather than ignored.” they added.
Noting that the study relied on self-reported data and was collected more than a decade ago, Dr. Shoham said “Of course, no one study should ever be taken as conclusive and our future work will attempt to address many of these limitations.”
(From news reports)
<관련 한글 기사>
날씬한 몸매를 원한다면 ‘이들’과 함께
몸무게가 많이 나가는 친구들과 어울려 다니면 살찔 확률이 더 높다는 연구결과가 나왔다.
시카고 로욜라 대학교 스트리츠 의대 연구진에 따르면 자신보다 체중이 많이 나가는 친구들이 있는 학생들은 살이 더 찔 가능성이 높은 것으로 나타났다. 반대로 자신보다 체중이 적은 친구들과 어울리는 학생들은 살이 빠질 가능성이 높았다.
데이비드 쇼엄 박사(Dr. David Shoham)와 연구진은 주변 친구들이 학생들의 비만과 관련하여 어떤 영향을 미치는가를 알아보기 위한 연구를 고안했다. 연구를 통해 학생들의 체질량지수(BMI)를 비교한 결과 한 과체중 학생이 날씬한 친구들과 어울린 경우 이 학생의 BMI 수치가 감소할 확률이 40%로 나타났다. 그러나 과체중 학생이 더 체중이 많이 나가는 친구들을 사귈 경우 그 확률은 15%로 더 낮게 나타났다.
연구진은 “사회적 영향이란 보통 부정적인 방향으로 작용하는 경향이 있다. 따라서 이 연구의 경우와 같이 학생들의 사회관계망을 고려해 적절한 대응책을 강구해야 한다.”고 밝혔다.
