Socio-cultural environment

Societal changes which have encouraged populations to be inactive to increase their food intake are thought to be the driving force for the obesity epidemic [1].

What may be needed, therefore, to shift the global obesity epidemic is a change in our socio-cultural environment. Our everyday behaviours (e.g. eating and activity) strongly related to health, are intricate parts of our socio-cultural behaviours and our collective environment, but quite how these factors relate remains unclear.

Examples of socio-cultural factors include social networks. It has been found that having obese social contacts is related to obesity [1, 2]. The possible mechanism for this is that obesity becomes ‘normalised’ and this influences both attitudes and eating behaviours.

Deprivation has been implicated as a key determinant in health and obesity status. In developed countries studies have reported that body size and place of residence are related. A study in Glasgow reported increasing mean body mass index (BMI) in four neighbourhoods with an increasing level of deprivation [3]. Also in Glasgow individuals living in more deprived areas had more exposure to out of home eating outlets in their neighbourhood [4].

Low levels of neighbourhood disorder and the presence of high street facilities has been found to be associated with lower levels of obesity [5]. Therefore restoring order may be an effective way to tackle obesity, illustrating that agencies outside of health have an important role to play in tackling obesity.

The socio-cultural impact of our lifestyle on energy balance and obesity stretches beyond social networks, deprivation and neighbourhoods. It is a complex web of related behaviours which merits further exploration.

References

1.Christakis, N.A. and J.H. Fowler, The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years. N Engl J Med, 2007. 357(4): p. 370-379.
2. Valente, T., W. , et al., Adolescent Affiliations and Adiposity: A Social Network Analysis of Friendships and Obesity. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 2009. 45(2): p. 202-204.
3. Ellaway, A., A. Anderson, and S. Macintyre, Does area of residence affect body size and shape? International Journal of Obesity, 1997. 21(4): p. 304-308.
4. Macintyre, S., et al., Out-of-home food outlets and area deprivation: case study in Glasgow, UK. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2005. 2(1): p. 16.
5. Stafford, M., et al., Pathways to obesity: Identifying local, modifiable determinants of physical activity and diet. Social Science & Medicine, 2007. 65(9): p. 1882-1897.