You are what your friends eat: systematic review of social network analyses of young people’s eating behaviours and bodyweight.

Adam Fletcher (1) , Chris Bonell (1) , Annik Sorhaindo (1)

1 LSHTM - London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Background: This review synthesises evidence regarding associations between young people�s social networks and their eating behaviours/bodyweight and also explores how these vary according to the setting and sample characteristics. Methods: Systematic review of cross-sectional and longitudinal observational studies examining the association between measures of young people�s social networks based on socio-metric data and eating behaviours (including calorific intake) and/or bodyweight. Results: There is consistent evidence that school friends are significantly similar in terms of their BMI, and friends with the highest BMI appear to be most similar. Overweight youth are also less likely to be popular and more likely to be socially isolated at school. Frequency of fast food consumption has also been found to cluster within groups of boys, as have body image concerns, dieting and eating disorders among girls. Conclusion: School friendships may be critical in shaping young people�s eating behaviours and bodyweight and/or vice versa, and suggests the potential of social-network-based health promotion interventions in schools. Further longitudinal research is needed to examine the processes via which this clustering occurs, how it varies according to school context, and the effects of non-school networks.

Mots clés: ADOLESCENTS CG; DIET RB; OBESITY EPI; SOCIAL FACTORS IN; SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS

Adam Fletcher, Chris Bonell, Annik Sorhaindo. You are what your friends eat: systematic review of social network analyses of young people’s eating behaviours and bodyweight.. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2011, 65 (6), pp.548. ⟨10.1136/jech.2010.113936⟩. ⟨hal-00625559⟩