Social Network and Weight Misperception Among Adolescents

36 Pages Posted: 10 Mar 2011

See all articles by Mir M. Ali

Mir M. Ali

Government of the United States of America - Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning & Evaluation

Aliaksandr Amialchuk

University of Toledo - Department of Economics

Francesco Renna

University of Akron

Date Written: March 10, 2011

Abstract

It is recognized that public health interventions targeted towards changing lifestyle behaviors to reduce overweight is a considerable challenge. It is important that individuals recognize their overweight status to be a health risk in order for an effective change in lifestyle behaviors to occur and growing evidence suggest that actual weight and perception of weight status often do not match especially among adolescents. In this paper, we explore the extent to which adolescents that are exposed to overweight parent and peers are likely to misperceive their weight status. Using data from a nationally representative sample of adolescents we estimate instrumental variable models with school level fixed effects to account for bi-directionality of peer influence and environmental confounders. Our results indicate that individuals who live in environment that exposes them to overweight/obese parent and heavier peers are more likely to misperceive their weight status and think of themselves to be of lower weight than they actually are. Our analysis also revealed differential effect by gender and type of peers.

Keywords: Weight Misperception, Adolescents, Peer Influence

JEL Classification: I12, J10, Z13

Suggested Citation

Ali, Mir M. and Amialchuk, Aliaksandr and Renna, Francesco, Social Network and Weight Misperception Among Adolescents (March 10, 2011). Southern Economic Journal, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1782786

Mir M. Ali (Contact Author)

Government of the United States of America - Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning & Evaluation ( email )

200 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20201
United States

Aliaksandr Amialchuk

University of Toledo - Department of Economics ( email )

Toledo, OH 43606
United States
(419) 530-5147 (Phone)
(419) 530-7844 (Fax)

Francesco Renna

University of Akron ( email )

259 S. Broadway
Akron, OH 44325
United States

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