Peer Network Processes in Adolescents’ Health Lifestyles

Abstract

Combining theories of health lifestyles—interrelated health behaviors arising from group-based identities—with those of network and behavior change, we investigated network characteristics of health lifestyles and the role of influence and selection processes underlying these characteristics. We examined these questions in two high schools using longitudinal, complete friendship network data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Latent class analyses characterized each school’s predominant health lifestyles using several health behavior domains. School-specific stochastic actor-based models evaluated the bidirectional relationship between friendship networks and health lifestyles. Predominant lifestyles remained stable within schools over time, even as individuals transitioned between lifestyles. Friends displayed greater similarity in health lifestyles than nonfriend dyads. Similarities resulted primarily from teens’ selection of friends with similar lifestyles but also from teens influencing their peers’ lifestyles. This study demonstrates the salience of health lifestyles for adolescent development and friendship networks.

Health Lifestyle Theory in a Changing Society: The Rise of Infectious Diseases and Digitalization

“…While some individuals may have lifestyles featuring either uniformly (concordant) healthy or unhealthy behaviors, others have a health lifestyle consisting of combinations of healthy and unhealthy (discordant) practices. Some U.S. studies emphasize the discordant nature of health lifestyle practices that suggests they are the norm (Saint Onge and Krueger 2017), especially during adolescence and young adulthood, when these age groups experiment with risky health behaviors (adams et al 2022; Daw, Margolis, and Wright 2017; Lawrence et al 2020; Mollborn and Lawrence 2018; Mollborn, Lawrence, and Saint Onge 2021).…”

“…In addition to finding discordant practices in adolescence and young adulthood, these studies did not uncover significant social class differences. Nevertheless, inconsistent or reversed findings for the effects of higher SES (personal or parental) on the health lifestyles of adolescents and young adults (adams et al 2022; Burdette et al 2017; Lawrence et al 2020) are not unrealistic, considering these are transitional stages of life that affect youth of all class circumstances. As Elizabeth Lawrence and her colleagues (2020:14) determined: “Associations with SES thus appear to be developmentally specific, and socioeconomically based identities may become more salient in adulthood than in earlier life.”…”

“…Other life course studies find that childhood and adolescent health lifestyles go on to influence those in young adulthood (Burdette et al 2017; Daw et al 2017; Lawrence et al 2017; Lee et al 2018; Mize 2017; Mollborn and Lawrence 2018). However, as noted, adolescent health lifestyles are often inconsistent as family influence competes with that of schools and peers, which, in the case of peers, is likely discordant (adams et al 2022; Mollborn and Lawrence 2018; Stead et al 2011). Parental class standing declines in strength as a determining factor in health lifestyles during adolescence (Burdette et al 2017; Mollborn and Lawrence 2018).…”

“…Other views similarly depict health lifestyles as bundles, constellations, or clusters of health behaviors that occur in patterns and are reinforced by group-level identities and norms (adams et al 2022; Mollborn, Lawrence, and Hummer 2020; Mollborn, Lawrence, and Saint Onge 2021; Mollborn and Modile 2022). The behaviors in question typically involve food choices, levels and types of alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise, and the like that affect one’s health and life span.…”

Social Network Ties and Responses to COVID-19 Among E-Cigarette Users

“…Social networks have proven to be durably related to health behaviors, including smoking and e-cigarette use ( Barrington-Trimis et al, 2016 ; Cohen, 2004 ; Friedman & Aral, 2001 ; Gentina, Kilic, & Dancoine, 2017 ; Haas & Schaefer, 2014 ; Hall & Valente, 2007 ; Schaefer, Adams, & Haas, 2013 ; Smith & Christakis, 2008 ). With respect to substance use behaviors more generally, networks provide opportunities to initiate substance use, either through the direct provision of substances or by creating opportunities to use substances during social occasions, and also contribute to lifestyles in which the use of substances becomes part of social routines ( Adams, Lawrence, Goode, Schaefer, & Mollborn, 2022 ; Wagner & Anthony, 2002 ). People also share information about substances within their social networks, including information about risks and opportunities to reduce harms associated with use ( Jacinto, Duterte, Sales, & Murphy, 2008 ).…”