Apples for Health- Overweight youth have overweight friends

Overweight youth have overweight friends

LOS ANGELES, July 20 (UPI) -- Overweight youth are twice as likely to have overweight friends, U.S. researchers found.
Researchers at the Institute of Prevention Research at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California said they used school surveys among 617 students ages 11-13 from the greater Los Angeles area.
In addition to finding that overweight adolescents were more likely to have overweight friends than their normal-weight peers.
The study, published online ahead of print in the August issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, also found that overweight girls were more likely to name more friends, but less likely to be named as a friend than normal-weight girls.
"Although this link between obesity and social networks was expected, it was surprising how strong the peer effect is and how early in life it starts," lead author Thomas Valente said in a statement.
"The findings certainly raise health concerns because when kids start associating only with others who have a similar weight status it can reinforce the negative behaviors that cause obesity."