The Role of Social Support vs. Modeling on Adolescents' Diet and Physical Activity: Findings from a School-based Weight Management Trial

Impact of social support on the dietary behaviors of international college students in the United States

OBJECTIVE

International students in the US often adopt unhealthy dietary behaviors, perhaps due to lack of familiarity and social support. This study examined the impact of social support on international college students' dietary behaviors.

PARTICIPANTS

This study surveyed international students (N = 318) from five public universities in one Midwest state.

METHODS

Participants completed an electronic survey assessing self-reported eating habits and perceived social support using the Social Support for Eating Habits and the Starting the Conversation (STC) scales. Data analyses included multiple linear regression and multiple logistic regression to test the study's hypotheses. Comparisons were made to explore the impact of perceived social support on international students' dietary behaviors.

RESULTS

Significant predictors of unhealthy dietary behaviors included region of origin (specifically, being from East Asia, Europe and North America) and having families that discouraged healthy eating habits. Additionally, living with immediate family members significantly decreased students' likelihood of having higher friend encouragement for healthy eating habits. Finally, the amount of time participants spent in the US significantly increased their likelihood of having more discouragement of healthy eating from their friends.

CONCLUSIONS

International students' unhealthy eating habits increased when their families discouraged them from healthy eating. Interventions promoting healthy diet among international students should consider including family members to increase social support for healthy eating habits.

Weight Status Among Minnesota Hispanic or Latino/a Youth: An Exploration of Protective Factors

PURPOSE

Pediatric obesity disproportionately impacts Hispanic or Latino/a adolescents. Culturally appropriate family-based behavioral initiatives to improve weight status are warranted. The purpose of this research was to determine prevalence rates and identify protective factors associated with having overweight/obesity (body mass index ≥ 85^th percentile) to inform Hispanic or Latino/a-targeted behavioral intervention development.

DESIGN

Secondary data analyses of a population-based statewide survey.

SETTING

Minnesota public high schools.

PARTICIPANTS

Male (n = 2,644) and female (n = 2,798) Hispanic or Latino/a 9^th and 11^th graders (N = 5,442).

MEASURES

Obesity-related behaviors (meeting fruit and vegetable [F&V] and physical activity [PA] recommendations), family caring, family country/region of origin, and weight status.

ANALYSIS

Stepwise logistic regression models (F&V, PA), stratified by biological sex, were used to identify protective factors of overweight/obesity.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of meeting F&V and PA recommendations was 11.0% and 11.8%, respectively. Meeting F&V recommendations was not protective against overweight/obesity in either sex. Yet, males and females who met PA recommendations had significantly lower odds of having overweight/obesity (p < .05). In F&V and PA models, family caring was protective against overweight/obesity in females (p < .05), and family country/region of origin was protective against overweight/obesity in both sexes (p < .05).

CONCLUSION

Findings illustrate a need for obesity prevention initiatives for Hispanic or Latino/a youth. More research is needed to understand the protective nature of family caring and country/region of origin.

Friendship as a social mechanism influencing body mass index (BMI) among emerging adults

Background

Social relationships have been proposed as a significant factor shaping obesity risk. The first year of college, a period of major social, behavioral, and weight changes, provides a context well-suited to tracking longitudinally the impact of shifting friendships on weight outcomes. This study sought to identify social mechanisms impacting BMI change among emerging adults.

Methods

An analytic sample of 276 college students (71.0% female, 52.2% non-White) provided repeated reports of relationships and BMI was measured up to four times during 2015–2016. Stochastic actor-oriented models were used to examine change in BMI through social influence and change in friendships over time, controlling for sex and race/ethnicity.

Results

At baseline, mean BMI was 24.2±4.5 kg/m². Overall, mean BMI increased over time; individual decreases in BMI were uncommon. There was a selection effect of BMI: participants with BMIs between 22 and 26 kg/m² were most likely to be nominated as a friend. While participants did not select friends based on BMI similarity, participants who were reported as friends were more likely to experience convergence in BMI over time relative to the BMIs of non-friends (p = 0.015). An increase in BMI (versus stability or a decrease) was more likely for those whose friends had a higher BMI on average compared to participants whose friends had the same or lower BMI (OR = 2.85, 95% CI = 1.22, 6.71).

Conclusion

Analyses indicated BMI affected friend selection, not through students selecting friends with similar BMI, but rather, by students avoiding friends with more extreme BMI levels.