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Friends Like Me: Associations in Overweight/Obese Status among Adolescent Friends by Race/Ethnicity, Sex, and Friendship Type.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Bruening, M; MacLehose, R; Eisenberg, ME; Kim, S; Story, M; Neumark-Sztainer, D
Published in: Child Obes
December 2015

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how interpersonal friend relationships are associated with obesity in young people, particularly with regard to how race/ethnicity, type of friendship, and sex affect the association between friends' and adolescents' weight status. This study examined associations in weight status among adolescents and their friends, exploring magnitudes of associations across friendship type, sex, and race/ethnicity. METHODS: As part of EAT-2010 (Eating and Activity in Teens), friend nominations and anthropometrics were obtained from adolescents (n = 2099: 54% female; 80% nonwhite; mean age: 14.2 ± 1.9 years). Generalized estimating equation logistic regression models were used to test associations between adolescents' overweight/obese status and friends' (i.e., friend group, female friends, male friends, female best friends, and male best friends) overweight/obese status. Interactions by adolescent race/ethnicity were examined. RESULTS: The majority of significant associations were observed among white female adolescents' who had a 22-40% higher prevalence of overweight/obesity if their friends were overweight compared to white females whose friends were not overweight. In contrast, there were few significant differences for other adolescent female and male racial/ethnic groups for girls and boys. Results for friend groups and best friends were generally similar to one another. CONCLUSIONS: The association between friend and adolescent overweight/obese status depended on adolescents' sex, race/ethnicity, and friendship type. Given the similarities among friends, obesity interventions targeting youth, especially white females, should consider involving friends.

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Published In

Child Obes

DOI

EISSN

2153-2176

Publication Date

December 2015

Volume

11

Issue

6

Start / End Page

722 / 730

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • White People
  • United States
  • Sex Factors
  • Pediatric Obesity
  • Overweight
  • Male
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Indians, North American
  • Humans
  • Hispanic or Latino
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Bruening, M., MacLehose, R., Eisenberg, M. E., Kim, S., Story, M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2015). Friends Like Me: Associations in Overweight/Obese Status among Adolescent Friends by Race/Ethnicity, Sex, and Friendship Type. Child Obes, 11(6), 722–730. https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2015.0015
Bruening, Meg, Richard MacLehose, Marla E. Eisenberg, Sunkyung Kim, Mary Story, and Dianne Neumark-Sztainer. “Friends Like Me: Associations in Overweight/Obese Status among Adolescent Friends by Race/Ethnicity, Sex, and Friendship Type.Child Obes 11, no. 6 (December 2015): 722–30. https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2015.0015.
Bruening M, MacLehose R, Eisenberg ME, Kim S, Story M, Neumark-Sztainer D. Friends Like Me: Associations in Overweight/Obese Status among Adolescent Friends by Race/Ethnicity, Sex, and Friendship Type. Child Obes. 2015 Dec;11(6):722–30.
Bruening, Meg, et al. “Friends Like Me: Associations in Overweight/Obese Status among Adolescent Friends by Race/Ethnicity, Sex, and Friendship Type.Child Obes, vol. 11, no. 6, Dec. 2015, pp. 722–30. Pubmed, doi:10.1089/chi.2015.0015.
Bruening M, MacLehose R, Eisenberg ME, Kim S, Story M, Neumark-Sztainer D. Friends Like Me: Associations in Overweight/Obese Status among Adolescent Friends by Race/Ethnicity, Sex, and Friendship Type. Child Obes. 2015 Dec;11(6):722–730.
Journal cover image

Published In

Child Obes

DOI

EISSN

2153-2176

Publication Date

December 2015

Volume

11

Issue

6

Start / End Page

722 / 730

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • White People
  • United States
  • Sex Factors
  • Pediatric Obesity
  • Overweight
  • Male
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Indians, North American
  • Humans
  • Hispanic or Latino