Peer effects on obesity in a sample of European children

Wencke Gwozdz; Alfonso Sousa-Poza; Lucia A Reisch; Karin Bammann; Gabriele Eiben; Yiannis Kourides; Éva Kovács; Fabio Lauria; Kenn Konstabel; Alba M Santaliestra-Pasias; Krishna Vyncke; Iris Pigeot

doi:10.1016/j.ehb.2015.05.002

Peer effects on obesity in a sample of European children

Econ Hum Biol. 2015 Jul:18:139-52. doi: 10.1016/j.ehb.2015.05.002. Epub 2015 May 22.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Intercultural Communication and Management, Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Institute for Health Care & Public Management, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 48, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Department of Intercultural Communication and Management, Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Bremen Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine & Human and Health Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Public Health Epidemiology Unit, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Research and Education Institute of Child Health, Strovolos, Cyprus. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ Department of Paediatrics, Medical, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁸ Institute of Food Science & Technology, National Research Council, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁹ Institute of Psychology, Social Sciences and Education, University of Tartu, Estonia. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹⁰ Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development Research Group, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹¹ Department of Public Health, Medicine and Health Sciences, University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹² Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Bremen, Germany; Institute of Statistics, Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 26115518
DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2015.05.002

Abstract

This study analyzes peer effects on childhood obesity using data from the first two waves of the IDEFICS study, which applies several anthropometric and other measures of fatness to approximately 14,000 children aged two to nine participating in both waves in 16 regions of eight European countries. Peers are defined as same-sex children in the same school and age group. The results show that peer effects do exist in this European sample but that they differ among both regions and different fatness measures. Peer effects are larger in Spain, Italy, and Cyprus--the more collectivist regions in our sample--while waist circumference generally gives rise to larger peer effects than BMI. We also provide evidence that parental misperceptions of their own children's weight goes hand in hand with fatter peer groups, supporting the notion that in making such assessments, parents compare their children's weight with that of friends and schoolmates.

Keywords: Children; Europe; Obesity; Peer effects.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Body Mass Index
Body Weights and Measures*
Child
Child, Preschool
Cross-Sectional Studies
Europe / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Male
Pediatric Obesity / epidemiology*
Peer Group*
Socioeconomic Factors