A new research reported in the July 2007 Edition of The New England Journal of Medicine showed that one of the reasons for the wide spread obesity is societal connection. The stronger the social networks, whether living close by or at great distances, the greater the chances of developing obesity. NIA (National Institute of Aging), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded this study and was the first one to provide a detailed account of the influence of social networks on obesity. This study can be helpful for clinical findings as well as creating awareness on public health regarding obesity.
Using the data of Framingham Heart Study supported by National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which again is a component of NIH, this analysis was carried out by Nicholas Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, and James Fowler, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Diego.
In the words of NIH Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D. “Nearly one in three American adults — 66 million men and women — are obese, which puts them at risk for a number of serious health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. With the sharply rising rates of obesity in this country, we need to learn as much as we can about contributing factors. This study describes social network influences that might be an important part of that equation.”
No doubt sedentary life style and caloric rich food consumptions give rise to obesity immensely, but factors indicate that families, friends, and other social networks largely influence developing obesity, where attitudes, behaviors, obesity acceptance are few of the factors that play a key part.
Data collected from the Framingham Heart Study included analyzing 5,124 records to evaluate if obesity spread from person to person within social networks. Further information on these records were collected and analyzed which included the participants’ parents, spouses, children, and close friends. Collectively these participants had a social network of 12,067 people. The average age for this study was 38 years old participants from a range of 21 to 70 years individuals.
The findings revealed as Christakis puts it: “We identified distinct clusters of obese people within social networks, and the clusters spread about three people deep. People who were only one degree removed from each other socially, such as siblings or close friends, influenced one another twice as much as people who were two degrees removed from each other.”
For a detailed understanding, check out http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jul2007/nia-25.htm