There are many different explanations for the global obesityepidemic, but here’s one I hadn’t come across. Petra Jansen and othersstudied obese children for a forthcoming issue of Appetite and foundthat these children performed poorly on what is called chronometricmental rotation test, which measures spatial ability. Maybe some peopleare less astute at judging portion sizes or even their own body mass.
Social networks also powerfully influence obesity, and Kevin Lewis has a volley of studies on this subject over at his blog at National Affairs. One study suggested that enrolling in Head Start reduces a child’s oddsof becoming obese. Another study found that as schools face morepressure to improve academic performance they may cut back on recess andinadvertently increase obesity levels. Another study found thatstudents who worked at desks that encouraged standing burned morecalories than those who studied at desks that forced them to sit down.Finally, researchers at the Journal of Adolescent Health comparedAmerican and Chinese students. They found that obesity rates are twiceas high among students in New York and Los Angeles than among studentsin Hong Kong, Macau and Taipei, but students in Chinese cities were 15percent more likely to perceive themselves as obese.
