Obesity "Contagious", Study Shows
Society | July 26, 2007, ThursdayThe presence of obese people in one's immediate circle makes them more likely to become overweight, a new US study shows.
Based on data from more than 12,000 people gathered over 32 years, the researchers from the Harvard Medical School and the University of California in San Diego say that there is a causal relationship between the two.
The link goes beyond just similar lifestyles and environments, because it is present even in cases when the friends of the individual in question live far away.
"What appears to be happening is that a person becoming obese most likely causes a change of norms about what counts as an appropriate body size," one of the authors, Nicholas Christakis, was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"People come to think that it is OK to be bigger since those around them are bigger, and this sensibility spreads," he added.
The study suggests the social factors were even no less important than the physical ones, but it has been criticised for being unhelpful.
"The statistics may be meaningful, but in real life this is not very helpful to people who are overweight," Andrew Hill from the University of Leeds told BBC.
Based on data from more than 12,000 people gathered over 32 years, the researchers from the Harvard Medical School and the University of California in San Diego say that there is a causal relationship between the two.
The link goes beyond just similar lifestyles and environments, because it is present even in cases when the friends of the individual in question live far away.
"What appears to be happening is that a person becoming obese most likely causes a change of norms about what counts as an appropriate body size," one of the authors, Nicholas Christakis, was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"People come to think that it is OK to be bigger since those around them are bigger, and this sensibility spreads," he added.
The study suggests the social factors were even no less important than the physical ones, but it has been criticised for being unhelpful.
"The statistics may be meaningful, but in real life this is not very helpful to people who are overweight," Andrew Hill from the University of Leeds told BBC.
» Subscribe to receive alerts by email for any of these keywords.
Share:
