Social support and trajectories of body mass index and waist to hip ratio from mid-adulthood to old age.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Although social networks' influence on obesity has been increasingly recognised, it remains unclear if different dimensions of social support, for example, emotional or practical support, received from one's closest relationship are associated with weight outcomes over mid-life and old age.

Methods

Using linear mixed models we examined whether person-level body mass index (BMI) and waist to hip ratio (WHR) trajectories vary according to levels of emotional, practical and negative aspects of social support in a large UK-based cohort of healthy civil servant workers (n=5460) with objectively measured anthropometry data on five occasions over two decades (1989-1990 to 2012-2013).

Results

We found that gender modified the associations, with more consistent patt

SUBMITTER: Tymoszuk U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7441226 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature