ShareThisLatest research from the US found a strong link between teenagers own weight and that of their closest peers. A UK obesity expert said the link is likely to be casual and down to catching bad habits.
The journal Economics and Human Biology work adds weight to the notion of imitative obesity - mimicking of friends who pile on the pounds. It looked at data on nearly 5,000 teenagers, many of whom were later followed up after two-year interval. From this the researchers found friendships between the adolescents tended to cluster according to weight, meaning overweight children tended to hang out together. When they looked at weight changes over time, they found having a fat friend could lead to weight gain for a child.
"You do not stop seeing people because they are fat, but you might be able to influence them into leading a healthier lifestyle by going for a walk rather than playing computer games," he said. A spokeswoman from Weight Concern said: "We do learn from our peers and eat with our friends, so these children may be picking up unhealthy habits. READ THE FULL ARTICLE Read more
