The kids you chose to sit with at your high school lunch table may have a profound effect on your future.
According to a new study conducted by a researcher at UB, young people's eating habits are strongly influenced by what is deemed socially acceptable by their friends.
Dr. Sarah-Jeanne Salvy, assistant professor at the UB School of Medicine, collaborated with Marlana Howard, Margaret Read and Erica Mele on this study, which was published in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Salvy and her colleagues surveyed 23 overweight children and 42 average weight children between the ages of 9 and 15, who were randomly chosen to participate with either a friend or another child they had never met before.
The investigators suspected that friends might take on the role of 'permission givers' and allow students to eat more food in one sitting. This hypothesis was created based on prior research on this subject using adults. Salvy and her fellow researchers believed that only overweight children, not normal-weight children, would eat more when eating with an overweight friend.
'When eating with strangers, I [tend to] eat less because I subconsciously feel that the strangers are judging me,' Stacy Steiner, a freshman exercise science major, said. 'I'm more likely to eat more food when with my friends; however, when [I am] alone, I don't eat more than I normally would.'
Before participating in the study, the participants had to write down all food consumed in the past 24 hours and they were not permitted to eat two hours prior to the start of their research appointment. They also had to record their hunger level on a scale of one to five.
After this procedure, the children were split into 33 pairs of friends and 39 pairs of formerly unacquainted children. While the children played in the room, they had the option to eat baby carrots, grapes, potato chips or cookies. The children were observed from an adjacent room and a closed-circuit television. At the end of the 45-minute session, the amount each child had consumed was weighed.
The study concluded that those who ate with friends consumed more than those who were with strangers. Results also proved that overweight children who were matched with other overweight children – regardless of whether or not they were friends beforehand – ate more than if they were matched with a non-overweight child.
According to the report, the results of the study are the same as the results of similar studies conducted among adults, with one slight difference: 'This study did not involve an ‘eat alone' comparison group, [so] it is not clear whether overweight participants overate in the company of friends or whether they suppressed their intake in the presence of unfamiliar peers or both.'
From this study, Salvy drew the conclusion that children look to their friends to determine what an acceptable amount of food per meal is.
Stephanie Darsa, a freshman undeclared major, does just that.
'In the presence of someone who would most likely be passing judgment, such as a potential boyfriend, I would absolutely be more inclined to eat less; in fact, most times it is normal that there is appetite loss,' Darsa said.
Molly Neuhauser, a freshman communication major, has a different perspective. 'I eat more alone when there is no one around to stop me or judge what I am eating, but I would eat in front of anyone - the difference between friends or strangers does not really bother me,' Neuhauser said.
Whatever your eating habits, the study's findings still stand.
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Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
