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A new study has found that young adults who are newly married gain up to nine pounds more than their single counterparts. The findings confirm other studies showing a link between weight gain and young adults, specifically those in their teens and early twenties.
“The weight gain in this age group is frightening,” said Penny Gordon-Larsen of the University of North Carolina's school of public health.
Previous research conducted by Gordon-Larsen has shown that from teenage to young adulthood, the rate of obesity in people increases significantly. Obesity is defined as 30 pounds or more overweight.
The Findings
In this study, Gordon-Larsen and her colleagues tracked nearly 8,000 people—including 1,200 couples—between the ages of 12 and 28 for five years. They found that recently married women gained an average of 24 pounds compared with an average of 15 pounds in women who dated but didn't live with their partner.
The findings were similar in men. Those who were recently married gained an average of 30 pounds. Men who dated but didn't cohabitate gained 24 pounds on average.
Even couples who cohabitated but didn't marry gained fewer pounds than married couples. The women gained an average of 18 pounds and the men an average of 24.
“When people are dating, there may be more incentive to stay thin,” said Gordon-Larsen.
Contributing Factors
According to researcher Natalie The, young adults who are single tend to lead less sedentary lives than their married counterparts, whose increased weight may be due to having children, eating out more often, cooking large meals, and getting less exercise.
A study published earlier this summer showed that obesity can be contagious among social peer groups. That is, friends, spouses, and siblings of an obese person have an increased risk of gaining weight themselves.
“Ideally, we'd like to shift the influence couples have on each other to positive behaviors, so they can support each other to get to a healthy weight and maintain it,” Gordon-Larsen said.
(Source: USA Today online)
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