Georgetown University LogoGeorgetown University Library LogoDigitalGeorgetown Home
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   DigitalGeorgetown Home
    • Georgetown University Institutional Repository
    • McCourt School of Public Policy
    • Graduate Theses and Dissertations - Public Policy
    • View Item
    •   DigitalGeorgetown Home
    • Georgetown University Institutional Repository
    • McCourt School of Public Policy
    • Graduate Theses and Dissertations - Public Policy
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    The role of social support in weight loss

    Cover for The role of social support in weight loss
    View/Open
    View/Open: snyderJoni.pdf (249kB) Bookview

    Creator
    Snyder, Joni Marie.
    Description
    Thesis (M.P.P.)--Georgetown University, 2009.; Includes bibliographical references. Two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight or obese. Obesity increases an individual's risk for heart disease, type II diabetes, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and certain types of cancers. Doctors report that even a modest weight loss of ten percent of one's body weight can greatly reduce these risk factors. This study examines the effect of social support on weight loss among obese Americans who reported losing weight over a one-year period. The data for the analysis come from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), an annual survey that measures the health-related behaviors of adult Americans. The concept of social support is captured in the survey question, "How often do you receive the social and emotional support your need?" Respondents' weight loss is measured two ways: with a binary variable that captures whether or not they reached the ten percent benchmark and a continuous variable that represents the actual percentage of weight lost. To determine the effect of social support on weight loss, this study uses bivariate analyses of the various factors that determine an individual's weight as well as regression anaylsis of the marginal effects of social support on the two measures of weight loss. Using the available data, this study was not able to detect an effect of the social support variables on weight loss. However, given that previous empirical studies suggest that weight loss efforts can benefit from increased social support, the question deserves further investigation.
    Permanent Link
    http://hdl.handle.net/10822/553923
    Date Published
    2009
    Subject
    Health Sciences, Public Health
    Type
    thesis
    Publisher
    Georgetown University
    Collections
    • Graduate Theses and Dissertations - Public Policy
    Metadata
    Show full item record

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Thumbnail

      Termination of Life Support After Severe Child Abuse: The Role of a Guardian Ad Litem 

      Gladsjo, Julie Akiko; Breding, John; Sine, David; Wells, Robert; Kalemkiarian, Sharon; Oak, Joni; Vieira, Angela S.; Friedlander, Sheila Fallon (2004-02)
    Related Items in Google Scholar

    Georgetown University Seal
    ©2009 - 2023 Georgetown University Library
    37th & O Streets NW
    Washington DC 20057-1174
    202.687.7385
    digitalscholarship@georgetown.edu
    Accessibility
     

     

    Browse

    All of DigitalGeorgetownCommunities & CollectionsCreatorsTitlesBy Creation DateThis CollectionCreatorsTitlesBy Creation Date

    My Account

    Login

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Georgetown University Seal
    ©2009 - 2023 Georgetown University Library
    37th & O Streets NW
    Washington DC 20057-1174
    202.687.7385
    digitalscholarship@georgetown.edu
    Accessibility