title: Friend and Family Support for Weight Loss in Adolescent Females.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Overweight and obesity rates in children and adolescents are concerning, particularly among girls. Social support from friends has been associated with healthier eating and higher levels of physical activity, yet little is known about the relationship between social support and weight loss among adolescents. This aim of this study was to prospectively examine the relationship between baseline social support from friends and family, changes in social support, and weight loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-five adolescent girls completed a one-year weight loss intervention trial. Data were collected at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, family support was higher compared to friend support; however, lower friend support at baseline and increases in friend support from baseline to 6 months and 12 months were associated with weight loss. When controlling for other predictors of weight loss, change in friend support for healthy eating was predictive of weight loss at 12 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that weight loss interventions for adolescent females might consider including strategies to elicit or to create and promote social support for healthy eating from peers. Future studies are needed to test this relationship.
authors.affiliation: 1 Center for School Health, Division of Kinesiology, Health, and Sport Studies, Wayne State University , Detroit, MI.
authors.forename: Noel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kulik
authors.affiliation: 2 Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Carmina G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Valle
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Health Behavior, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill, NC.|4 Department of Nutrition, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Deborah F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Tate
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001294:Attitude to Health; D037001:Directive Counseling; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D010379:Peer Group; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D015431:Weight Loss