Social Norms Research

Peer pressure often times is looked at concerning drugs and alcohol, but food habits are also greatly influenced by peers. Social norms help shape individuals eating and exercise habits. According to one source “social norms - the standards against which the appropriateness of a certain behavior is assessed – have been described as comprising amongst the least visible, yet most powerful, forms of social control over human behavior”(Ball et al). For adolescents fast food places are a place of social gathering. It has become routine for students to go out and eat afterschool on a day-to-day basis (Fortuna). One source claimed “that snack and soft drink consumption are behaviors shared by adolescent friendship groups, with the strongest similarities in schools with high availability of snacks in the canteen and soft drinks in the vending machines”(Wouters et al). Generally, research after research has suggested that social norms and peers play a large role in eating and …show more content…
Video games and Internet have always been looked at in a negative light from a health standpoint. Logically you could see how hours sitting in front of a screen could lead to obesity. One study found that those who used the computer or played video game for more than four hours were more likely to be obese (Bener). According to another source the typical American youth from ages 8 to 18 will spend almost 7 hours in front of electronic media (Wack and Dunn). This amount of time is significant and can lead to forming sedentary behavior associated with obesity. The relationship between weight and electronic media use is staggering. Some studies have shown that electronic use, such as television and video games, has almost a linear relationship with weight (Atherton and Metcalf). Internet use, television, and video games are a part of the average