Last but not least: Does Facebook affect body weight?
An individual's dietary and physical activity habits are significantly influenced by their social environment. In a new research project, scientists are now investigating the impact of social media on individuals' health awareness and, in particular, their body weight.
In a longitudinal study published in 2007, the US authors Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler demonstrated over a period of 32 years that obesity is transmitted from person to person within social networks. This writes Idw-online.de in on Tuesday. However, previous studies have only looked at the epidemic spread of obesity within traditional social networks - offline.
Researchers from the Chair of Information Systems II at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg FAU, led by Freimut Bodendorf, are now turning their attention to social networks such as Facebook. In cooperation with the women's fitness studio "Das Studio - Frauenfitness" in Nuremberg, where some of the test subjects come from, they are investigating which social factors - in particular the support of friends - play a role in weight gain and loss.
Based on these findings, a Facebook application is being developed. This uses the identified motivational factors to promote health-conscious behavior among personal Facebook friends. If this works, social networks will be given a new function. And Weight Watchers can pack up.
