title: An assessment of health behavior peer effects in Peking University dormitories: a randomized cluster-assignment design for interference.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Relatively little is known about the peer influence in health behaviors within university dormitory rooms. Moreover, in China, the problem of unhealthy behaviors among university students has not yet been sufficiently recognized. We thus investigated health behavior peer influence in Peking University dormitories utilizing a randomized cluster-assignment design.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional in-dormitory survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Current students from Peking University Health Science Center from April to June, 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported questionnaire on health behaviors: physical activity (including bicycling), dietary intake and tobacco use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Use of bicycle, moderate-intensity exercise, frequency of sweet food and soybean milk intake, frequency of roasted/baked/toasted food intake were behaviors significantly or marginally significantly affected by peer influence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health behavior peer effects exist within dormitory rooms among university students. This could provide guidance on room assignment, or inform intervention programs. Examining these may demand attention from university administrators and policy makers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America ; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America ; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Peking University School of Public Health, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Changzheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Tyler J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: VanderWeele
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D001642:Bicycling; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011897:Random Allocation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012907:Smoking; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
references.citation: Arch Intern Med. 2010 Jun 28;170(12):1050-6
references.pmid: 20585071
references.citation: Int J Epidemiol. 2001 Aug;30(4):668-77
references.pmid: 11511581
references.citation: Drug Alcohol Depend. 2010 Jun 1;109(1-3):239-42
references.pmid: 20071108
references.citation: AIDS Behav. 2011 Nov;15(8):1589-95
references.pmid: 21598034
references.citation: J Adolesc Health. 2008 Mar;42(3):209-20
references.pmid: 18295128
references.citation: Int J STD AIDS. 2008 Dec;19(12):848-50
references.pmid: 19050217
references.citation: J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999 Sep 1;91(17):1491-500
references.pmid: 10469751
references.citation: Addiction. 2011 Feb;106(2):366-75
references.pmid: 21054614
references.citation: Lancet. 2005 Nov 19;366(9499):1821-4
references.pmid: 16298221
references.citation: J Drug Educ. 1999;29(3):205-15
references.pmid: 10645123
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 2010 Mar 25;362(12):1090-101
references.pmid: 20335585
references.citation: Int J Cardiol. 2008 Dec 17;131(1):1-8
references.pmid: 18765165
references.citation: Diabetes Educ. 2010 Sep-Oct;36(5):717-29
references.pmid: 20668214
references.citation: Biomed Environ Sci. 2007 Feb;20(1):1-10
references.pmid: 17458135
references.citation: Lancet. 2011 Apr 23;377(9775):1438-47
references.pmid: 21474174
references.citation: Control Clin Trials. 1998 Dec;19(6):589-601
references.pmid: 9875838
references.citation: Health Educ Res. 2003 Aug;18(4):439-52
references.pmid: 12939126
references.citation: Matern Child Health J. 2002 Sep;6(3):159-67
references.pmid: 12236663
references.citation: Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Aug;64(8):776-81
references.pmid: 20485309
references.citation: Hypertension. 2002 Dec;40(6):920-7
references.pmid: 12468580
references.citation: Econ Hum Biol. 2011 Mar;9(2):119-32
references.pmid: 21216679
references.citation: Int J Epidemiol. 1999 Oct;28(5):S1015-8
references.pmid: 10598008
references.citation: J Prim Prev. 2010 Aug;31(4):191-208
references.pmid: 20614184