Social Network and Weight Misperception among Adolescents

Abstract

It is recognized that public health intervention targeted toward changing lifestyle behaviors to reduce overweight status is a considerable challenge. It is important that individuals recognize their overweight status as a health risk in order for an effective change in lifestyle behaviors to occur, and growing evidence suggests that actual weight and perception of weight status often do not match, especially among adolescents. In this article, we explore the extent to which exposure to heavier peers and parents affects misperception of their own weight status by adolescents. Using data from a nationally representative sample of adolescents, we estimated instrumental variable models with school-level fixed effects to account for bidirectionality of peer influence and environmental confounders. Our results indicate that individuals who live in an environment that exposes them to overweight/obese parents and heavier peers tend to misperceive their weight status and think of themselves to be of lower weight than they actually are. Our analysis also revealed differential effects by gender and type of peers.

The importance of parental knowledge: Evidence from weight report cards in Mexico

“…This finding that obesity perceptions are related to the obesity levels of the peer group is consistent with Ali et al (2011), who use the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and conclude that the obesity rates of one's peers affect one's own weight perceptions. Also, Guendelman et al (2010) finds that norms affect perceptions of ideal body weights.…”

“…The field experiment began with the distribution of a baseline survey to students to take home to parents to complete (see the Appendix for a copy of the survey). Included in this survey is a diversity of questions -done such 9 These findings are reminiscent of those of Ali et al (2011), who show, using observational data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, that an adolescents' social group affects his/her weight perceptions. 10 However, being cognizant of the causes might not imply that one knows how to reduce obesity.…”

“…The intention of this treatment was to understand whether parents' beliefs and actions about their child's weight are dependent on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in their child's class. In observational settings, beliefs about one's own weight are impacted by the weights of one's peer group (Ali et al, 2011).…”

Approaches to the Prevention and Management of Childhood Obesity: The Role of Social Networks and the Use of Social Media and Related Electronic Technologies

“…Strategies have been developed to identify opinion leaders within social networks (eg, local celebrities, community observation, interviews). 29 It is unclear, however, whether these opinion leaders could be recruited to develop strategies to affect childhood obesity within social networks. However, a cluster-randomized, controlled trial of a peer-led program based on these strategies was effective for tobacco prevention among adolescents.…”

“…For example, adolescents are more likely to underestimate their own weight status when surrounded by obese peers. 29 Obesity-related health behaviors are also associated with adolescent social networks, including participation in organized sports, fast food consumption, and computer/video game screen time. 30 Social networks therefore may be critical in shaping young people's eating behaviors and body weight and vice versa, and their role suggests the potential of social network-based health promotion interventions.…”