How Communities with Higher Ratios of Obesity Increase Your Risk of Being Overweight/Obese
In a recent study, researchers reported that communities with higher rates of obesity increase the chance for an individual to be overweight or obese. This phenomenon, which the researchers dubbed “social contagion,” seemed to be more prevalent in the families that had resided longer in the community. Interesting, other possible explanations, such as self-selection or the effects of shared environments, were assessed and discarded. The study analyzed both adults and children, with similar results.
This is one of the few studies that show how external factors such as our surroundings can influence our weight, and subsequently our overall health. In a sense, obesity can be considered as a contagious disorder. However, if we invert this assumption, we can then consider that being healthy could also be a communicable condition. Therefore, if we propagate healthy habits, it may be possible to lower the obesity rate of our community. This could be in the form of promoting outdoor activities (walking or cycling instead of driving), growing fruits and vegetables, educate the children on healthy eating habits, and more. These measures would not only have an impact on the community´s health, but also improve their quality of life. Maybe, in this manner, being healthy could be the new “social contagion”!
Reference: The JAMA Network
Dr. Jonathan Jones, PhD
Product Development Manager
