Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014 Sep;22(9):1973-80.
doi: 10.1002/oby.20814. Epub 2014 Jun 19.

Influence of family, friend and coworker social support and social undermining on weight gain prevention among adults

Monica L Wang  1 , Lori Pbert, Stephenie C Lemon
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Influence of family, friend and coworker social support and social undermining on weight gain prevention among adults

Monica L Wang et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2014 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: Examine longitudinal associations between sources of social support and social undermining for healthy eating and physical activity and weight change.

Methods: Data are from 633 employed adults participating in a cluster-randomized multilevel weight gain prevention intervention. Primary predictors included social support and social undermining for two types of behaviors (healthy eating and physical activity) from three sources (family, friends, and coworkers) obtained via self-administered surveys. The primary outcome (weight in kg) was measured by trained staff. Data were collected at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months. Linear multivariable models examined the association of support and social undermining with weight over time, adjusting for intervention status, time, gender, age, education, and clustering of individuals within schools.

Results: Adjusting for all primary predictors and covariates, friend support for healthy eating (β = -0.15), coworker support for healthy eating (β = -0.11), and family support for physical activity (β = -0.032) were associated with weight reduction at 24 months (P-values<0.05). Family social undermining for healthy eating was associated with weight gain at 24 months (β = 0.12; P = 0.0019).

Conclusions: Among adult employees, friend and coworker support for healthy eating and family support for physical activity predicted improved weight management. Interventions that help adults navigate family social undermining of healthy eating are warranted.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Baseline Measures† of Social Support for and Social Undermining of Healthy Eating by Source* among Public High School Employees (N=633) Participating In a Weight Gain Prevention Intervention †Mean (SD) *p-values are from F-tests estimating differences in mean support for healthy eating across all three sources and differences in mean social undermining of healthy eating across all three sources; level of significance set at p < 0.05. **p < 0.0001
Figure 2
Figure 2
Baseline Measures† of Social Support for and Social Undermining of Physical Activity by Source* among Public High School Employees (N=633) Participating In a Weight Gain Prevention Intervention †Mean (SD) *p-values are from F-tests estimating differences in mean support for healthy eating across all three sources and differences in mean social undermining of healthy eating across all three sources; level of significance set at p < 0.05 **p < 0.0001
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Flegal KM. NCHS data brief, no 82. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2012. Prevalence of obesity in the United States, 2009–2010. - PubMed
    1. Faith MS, Kral TVE. Social Environmental and Genetic Influences on Obesity and Obesity-Promoting Behaviors: Fostering Research Integration. In: Hernandez LM, Blazer DG, editors. Genes, Behavior, and the Social Environment: Moving Beyond the Nature/Nurture Debate. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press; 2006. - PubMed
    1. Christakis NA, Fowler JH. The spread of obesity in a large social network over 32 years. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(4):370–9. - PubMed
    1. Leahey TM, Gokee LaRose J, Fava JL, Wing RR. Social influences are associated with BMI and weight loss intentions in young adults. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2011;19(6):1157–62. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Oliveira AJ, Rostila M, de Leon AP, Lopes CS. The influence of social relationships on obesity: sex differences in a longitudinal study. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2013;21(8):1540–7. - PubMed

Publication types