Peers and Obesity during Childhood and Adolescence: A Review of the Empirical Research on Peers, Eating, and Physical Activity

Abstract

Obesity during childhood and adolescence is a growing problem in the United States, Canada, and around the world that leads to significant physical, psychological, and social impairment. In recent years, empirical research on factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of obesity has begun to consider peer experiences, such as peer rejection, peer victimization, and friendship. Peer experiences have been theoretically and empirically related to the “Big Two” contributors to the obesity epidemic, eating and physical activity, but there has not been a comprehensive review of the extant empirical literature. In this article, we review and synthesize the emerging theoretical and empirical literatures on peer experiences in relation to: (a) eating (food consumption and food selection); and (b) physical activity, during childhood and adolescence. A number of limitations and issues in the theoretical and empirical literatures are also discussed, along with future research directions. In conclusion, we argue that the involvement of children and adolescents’ peer networks in prevention and intervention efforts may be critical for promoting and maintaining positive behavioral health trajectories.

The Child Obesity Epidemic in Saudi Arabia: A Review of the Literature

“…Dietary patterns and physical activity are sometimes referred to as the two contributors to obesity (Salvy & Bowker, 2014). All the reviewed studies described dietary patterns or physical activity as stand-alone factors, without relating them to larger contexts and influences in the child's life (such as family and peers).…”

Associations within school-based same-sex friendship networks of children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviours: a cross-sectional social network analysis

“…Levels of physical activity and sedentary time amongst close friends may be an important influence on children’s physical activity [ 8 – 11 ] but this has been relatively under-explored. To date, a few studies have examined associations between physical activity in children and the physical activity of specific friends [ 12 , 13 ] or the proportion of friends who are active [ 14 , 15 ], but these do not take into account the more complex wider network of friends, or allow for dependence between them, which can result in biased parameter estimates.…”

Let’s get physical: Recent research on relations of adolescent peer victimization with psychosomatic symptoms, sleep, and body weight

“…One reason for this is the stigma that overweight or obese youth may face. With such a focus on meeting societal standards of appearance and attractiveness as almost a prerequisite for social acceptance and peer status (Webb & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2014, 2016, stigma may result in peer teasing and ostracism (Ames & Leadbeater, 2017;Puhl & Luedicke, 2012;Qualter et al, 2015;Salvy & Bowker, 2014;Wang, Ianotti, & Luk, 2010). Consistent with these notions, small to moderate associations between body mass index (BMI) and victimization by peers have been reported in cross-sectional studies (e.g., Eisenberg, Gower, McMorris, & Bucchianeri, 2015;Gray, Janicke, & Dumont-Driscoll, 2014) or crosssectional analyses in longitudinal studies (Mamun, O'Callaghan, Williams, & Najman, 2013), but this finding has not been universal (Gooding, Milliren, Austin, Sheridan, & McLaughlin, 2015;Jeong, Davis, Rodriguez, & Han, 2016) (see Table 1).…”