Your Neighborhood Might Be Making You Obese, Study Says
Beyond influence from friends and family, the people in your neighborhood can also have an affect on your weight, a study published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2018 says. Researchers studied communities to see whether living in a place with a higher rate of obesity puts parents and kids at a higher risk of becoming overweight or obese.
To control factors of self-selection, they decided to analyze military communities where families were placed in a location rather than choosing one themselves. After studying more than 1,500 families, scientists found that a 1 percentage point higher rate of obesity within the county of residence was associated with a higher BMI and odds of obesity for both parents and children.
The thought is that living in a place where you see people who are overweight can lead to poorer lifestyle choices. "In other words, living in a community where obesity is more common can make sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy eating and overweight or obesity more socially acceptable," Ashlesha Datar, one of the authors of the study, told the Financial Express.
Conversely, in places with lower rates of obesity, the families studied were less likely to be overweight or obese. This is unsurprising-other studies mentioned in the report indicate increased body weight dissatisfaction in young women when around people who are thinner than average.
While discussing the limitations of the study, researchers noted the large influence friends and family have on body weight and behaviors. In these networks, mirroring is even more likely, where you copy the behavior of those you respect or hold in high regard. If your best friend, mom, or sister eats a lot of junk food, you're more likely to follow suit. Moral of the story? Try and stay in your own lane, or at least be cognizant of how other people's actions are influencing your own.
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