{"id":60429,"date":"2007-07-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-07-26T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"\/gazette\/?p=60429"},"modified":"2016-08-10T13:31:46","modified_gmt":"2016-08-10T17:31:46","slug":"obesity-is-contagious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2007\/07\/obesity-is-contagious\/","title":{"rendered":"Obesity is contagious"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\tObesity is contagious\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\tDavid Cameron\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tStudy shows spread through social networks\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\t\t

Public health officials have been working hard to account for the dramatic rise in U.S. obesity rates. Many obvious factors, such as poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, certainly contribute to the swelling statistics. However, these and other explanations tend to focus exclusively on how individuals\u2019 choices and behaviors affect their own weight.<\/p>\n

Now, researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Diego have found that obesity is hardly a private matter. Reporting in the July 26 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine<\/a>, the researchers found that obesity spreads through social ties. When an individual gains weight, it dramatically increases the chances that their friends, siblings, and spouses will likewise gain weight. The closer two people are in a social network, the stronger the effect. Interestingly, geographical distance between persons in a social network appears to have no effect.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we see here is that one person\u2019s obesity can influence numerous others to whom he or she is connected both directly and indirectly,\u201d says Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, a professor in Harvard Medical School\u2019s Department of Health Care Policy. \u201cIn other words, it\u2019s not that obese or non-obese people simply find other similar people to hang out with. Rather, there is a direct, causal relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the last 25 years, the incidence of obesity among U.S. adults has more than doubled, shooting from 15 to 32 percent. In addition, roughly 66 percent of U.S. adults are considered overweight. Christakis and U.C. San Diego researcher James Fowler, PhD, decided to analyze data from the Framingham Heart Study (an ongoing cardiovascular study begun in 1948) to see if any social patterns might elucidate these alarming rates.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Public health officials have been working hard to account for the dramatic rise in U.S. obesity rates. Many obvious factors, such as poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, certainly contribute…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105622744,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"gz_ga_pageviews":271,"gz_ga_lastupdated":"2023-09-20 03:21","document_color_palette":null,"author":"David Cameron","affiliation":"","_category_override":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39644],"tags":[10651,15922,25628],"gazette-formats":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-60429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","tag-department-of-health-care-policy","tag-harvard-medical-school","tag-nicholas-christakis"],"yoast_head":"\nObesity is contagious — Harvard Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2007\/07\/obesity-is-contagious\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Obesity is contagious — Harvard Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Public health officials have been working hard to account for the dramatic rise in U.S. obesity rates. 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class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"author wp-block-post-author__name\">\n\t\tDavid Cameron\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<time class=\"article-header__date\" datetime=\"2007-07-26\">\n\t\t\tJuly 26, 2007\t\t<\/time>\n\n\t\t<span class=\"article-header__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t2 min read\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-header__subheading wp-block-heading\">\n\t\t\tStudy shows spread through social networks\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n"},"2":{"blockName":"core\/group","attrs":{"templateLock":false,"metadata":{"name":"Article content"},"align":"wide","layout":{"type":"constrained","justifyContent":"center"},"tagName":"div","lock":[],"className":"","style":[],"backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","ariaLabel":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[{"blockName":"core\/freeform","attrs":{"content":"","lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\t\t<p>Public health officials have been working hard to account for the dramatic rise in U.S. obesity rates. Many obvious factors, such as poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, certainly contribute to the swelling statistics. However, these and other explanations tend to focus exclusively on how individuals\u2019 choices and behaviors affect their own weight.<\/p>\n<p>Now, researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Diego have found that obesity is hardly a private matter. Reporting in the July 26 edition of the <a>New England Journal of Medicine<\/a>, the researchers found that obesity spreads through social ties. When an individual gains weight, it dramatically increases the chances that their friends, siblings, and spouses will likewise gain weight. The closer two people are in a social network, the stronger the effect. Interestingly, geographical distance between persons in a social network appears to have no effect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we see here is that one person\u2019s obesity can influence numerous others to whom he or she is connected both directly and indirectly,\u201d says Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, a professor in Harvard Medical School\u2019s Department of Health Care Policy. \u201cIn other words, it\u2019s not that obese or non-obese people simply find other similar people to hang out with. Rather, there is a direct, causal relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over the last 25 years, the incidence of obesity among U.S. adults has more than doubled, shooting from 15 to 32 percent. In addition, roughly 66 percent of U.S. adults are considered overweight. Christakis and U.C. San Diego researcher James Fowler, PhD, decided to analyze data from the Framingham Heart Study (an ongoing cardiovascular study begun in 1948) to see if any social patterns might elucidate these alarming rates.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n\t\t<p>Public health officials have been working hard to account for the dramatic rise in U.S. obesity rates. Many obvious factors, such as poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, certainly contribute to the swelling statistics. However, these and other explanations tend to focus exclusively on how individuals\u2019 choices and behaviors affect their own weight.<\/p>\n<p>Now, researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Diego have found that obesity is hardly a private matter. Reporting in the July 26 edition of the <a>New England Journal of Medicine<\/a>, the researchers found that obesity spreads through social ties. When an individual gains weight, it dramatically increases the chances that their friends, siblings, and spouses will likewise gain weight. The closer two people are in a social network, the stronger the effect. Interestingly, geographical distance between persons in a social network appears to have no effect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we see here is that one person\u2019s obesity can influence numerous others to whom he or she is connected both directly and indirectly,\u201d says Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, a professor in Harvard Medical School\u2019s Department of Health Care Policy. \u201cIn other words, it\u2019s not that obese or non-obese people simply find other similar people to hang out with. Rather, there is a direct, causal relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over the last 25 years, the incidence of obesity among U.S. adults has more than doubled, shooting from 15 to 32 percent. In addition, roughly 66 percent of U.S. adults are considered overweight. Christakis and U.C. San Diego researcher James Fowler, PhD, decided to analyze data from the Framingham Heart Study (an ongoing cardiovascular study begun in 1948) to see if any social patterns might elucidate these alarming rates.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n\t\t<p>Public health officials have been working hard to account for the dramatic rise in U.S. obesity rates. Many obvious factors, such as poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, certainly contribute to the swelling statistics. However, these and other explanations tend to focus exclusively on how individuals\u2019 choices and behaviors affect their own weight.<\/p>\n<p>Now, researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Diego have found that obesity is hardly a private matter. Reporting in the July 26 edition of the <a>New England Journal of Medicine<\/a>, the researchers found that obesity spreads through social ties. When an individual gains weight, it dramatically increases the chances that their friends, siblings, and spouses will likewise gain weight. The closer two people are in a social network, the stronger the effect. Interestingly, geographical distance between persons in a social network appears to have no effect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we see here is that one person\u2019s obesity can influence numerous others to whom he or she is connected both directly and indirectly,\u201d says Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, a professor in Harvard Medical School\u2019s Department of Health Care Policy. \u201cIn other words, it\u2019s not that obese or non-obese people simply find other similar people to hang out with. Rather, there is a direct, causal relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over the last 25 years, the incidence of obesity among U.S. adults has more than doubled, shooting from 15 to 32 percent. In addition, roughly 66 percent of U.S. adults are considered overweight. Christakis and U.C. San Diego researcher James Fowler, PhD, decided to analyze data from the Framingham Heart Study (an ongoing cardiovascular study begun in 1948) to see if any social patterns might elucidate these alarming rates.<\/p>\n"}],"innerHTML":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n","innerContent":["\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n","\n\n<\/div>\n"],"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n\t\t<p>Public health officials have been working hard to account for the dramatic rise in U.S. obesity rates. Many obvious factors, such as poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, certainly contribute to the swelling statistics. However, these and other explanations tend to focus exclusively on how individuals\u2019 choices and behaviors affect their own weight.<\/p>\n<p>Now, researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Diego have found that obesity is hardly a private matter. Reporting in the July 26 edition of the <a>New England Journal of Medicine<\/a>, the researchers found that obesity spreads through social ties. When an individual gains weight, it dramatically increases the chances that their friends, siblings, and spouses will likewise gain weight. The closer two people are in a social network, the stronger the effect. Interestingly, geographical distance between persons in a social network appears to have no effect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we see here is that one person\u2019s obesity can influence numerous others to whom he or she is connected both directly and indirectly,\u201d says Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, a professor in Harvard Medical School\u2019s Department of Health Care Policy. \u201cIn other words, it\u2019s not that obese or non-obese people simply find other similar people to hang out with. Rather, there is a direct, causal relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over the last 25 years, the incidence of obesity among U.S. adults has more than doubled, shooting from 15 to 32 percent. In addition, roughly 66 percent of U.S. adults are considered overweight. Christakis and U.C. San Diego researcher James Fowler, PhD, decided to analyze data from the Framingham Heart Study (an ongoing cardiovascular study begun in 1948) to see if any social patterns might elucidate these alarming rates.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n"}},"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":153826,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2014\/03\/genetic-link-between-fried-foods-and-obesity\/","url_meta":{"origin":60429,"position":0},"title":"Genetic link between fried foods and obesity?","author":"harvardgazette","date":"March 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Harvard researchers have released the first study to show that the adverse effects of fried foods may vary depending on the genetic makeup of the individual.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/french-fries-source-brett-jordan-flickr-creative-commons-jan-9-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/french-fries-source-brett-jordan-flickr-creative-commons-jan-9-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/french-fries-source-brett-jordan-flickr-creative-commons-jan-9-2012.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":395714,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2024\/10\/weight-loss-surgery-down-25-percent-as-anti-obesity-drug-use-soars\/","url_meta":{"origin":60429,"position":1},"title":"Weight-loss surgery down 25 percent as anti-obesity drug use soars","author":"Terry Murphy","date":"October 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Study authors call for more research examining how trend affects long-term patient outcomes","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An injection pen used by Ozempic patients.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Ozempic-liter.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Ozempic-liter.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Ozempic-liter.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Ozempic-liter.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":116974,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2012\/09\/health-in-the-balance\/","url_meta":{"origin":60429,"position":2},"title":"Health in the balance","author":"harvardgazette","date":"September 11, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"In research, treatment, and outreach, researchers from Harvard Medical School are taking on the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States. This is the first in a three-part series.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/obesity_for-series_child-on-scale_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/obesity_for-series_child-on-scale_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/obesity_for-series_child-on-scale_605.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":116980,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2012\/09\/kids-are-what-they-eat\/","url_meta":{"origin":60429,"position":3},"title":"Kids are what they eat","author":"harvardgazette","date":"September 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Sugary cereals, oversized soft drinks, and quarter-pound cheeseburgers are among the unhealthy food choices kids face daily. Junk food, most of it highly processed, and sugar-sweetened beverages are major contributors to the childhood obesity epidemic.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/obesity_3_l-r-emma-eggleston-matt-gillman-kerri-bradford-jake-bradford-baby2_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/obesity_3_l-r-emma-eggleston-matt-gillman-kerri-bradford-jake-bradford-baby2_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/obesity_3_l-r-emma-eggleston-matt-gillman-kerri-bradford-jake-bradford-baby2_605.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":183395,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/05\/the-joys-and-benefits-of-movement\/","url_meta":{"origin":60429,"position":4},"title":"The joys (and benefits) of movement","author":"harvardgazette","date":"May 24, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Erica Tukiainen used exercise to transform herself from a chubby kid to a collegiate basketball player. She wants to use lessons learned at the Harvard Chan School to help others add much-needed exercise to their lives.","rel":"","context":"In "Campus & Community"","block_context":{"text":"Campus & Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/033016_erica_132_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/033016_erica_132_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/033016_erica_132_605.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":158643,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2014\/07\/obesity-risk-stronger-among-siblings\/","url_meta":{"origin":60429,"position":5},"title":"Obesity risk stronger among siblings","author":"harvardgazette","date":"July 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"A new study found that two-child families present five times more risk of sibling obesity than single-child homes with an obese parent, which doubles the risk. Obesity risk is even stronger among same-gender siblings.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/istock_boys-on-couch.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/istock_boys-on-couch.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/istock_boys-on-couch.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105622744"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60429"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":204759,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60429\/revisions\/204759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60429"},{"taxonomy":"format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gazette-formats?post=60429"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=60429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}