Association of Peers Influence, Home Food Environment and Out of Home Food Environment with Obesity in School-Aged Adolescents in Iran

Aims: Our study aimed to find the association between general and central obesity with peers influence, home food environment, and out-of-home food environment in Iran. Material Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 15- to 18-year-old students in Yasuj, Iran selected using a stratified random sampling method. A demographic questionnaire was used and a 37-item questionnaire was used to assess the information about the peers’ influence, home food environment, and out-of-home food environment. Weight, height, and waist circumference were measured for all participants. Body mass index and waist-to-height ratio were calculated. Findings: Information from 241 participants including 120 girls and 121 boys were included in the analysis. The mean age of the participants was 16.43±0.88. None of the variables of peers influence, home food environment, and out-of-home food environment showed a significant association with anthropometric indices. Conclusion: In our study, none of the peers’ influence, home food environment and out of home food environment, could justify the participants’ obesity. It seems that studies with larger sample sizes and more demographic diversity are needed.