Social norms and obesity prevalence: From cohort to system dynamics models.

ABSTRACT: Group-level obesity can be seen as an emergent property of a complex system, consisting of feedback loops between individual body weight perception, individual weight-related behaviour and group-level social norms (a product of group-level 'normal' body mass index (BMI) and sociocultural 'ideal' BMI). As overweight becomes normal, the norm might be counteracting health awareness in shaping individual weight-related behaviour. System dynamics modelling facilitates understanding and simulating this system's emergent behaviour. We constructed six system dynamics models (SDMs) based on an expert-informed causal loop diagram and data from six sociocultural groups (Dutch, Moroccan and South-Asian Surinamese men and women). The SDMs served to explore the effect of three scenarios on group-level B

SUBMITTER: Crielaard L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7507199 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature