Study: Freshmen Women With Heavier Roommates Gain Less Weight

According to a study new University of Michigan study, freshmen women with heavier roommates will gain fewer pounds than those with roommates of average weight.

The study surveyed 144 incoming female students -- all of whom were randomly assigned a roommate -- about their weight, height, exercise and eating habits. Using this data, Michigan's Institute of Social Research found that respondents with overweight roommates gained only half a pound on average, as opposed to two and a half pounds for those living with a slimmer companion.

Kandice Kapinos, an assistant research scientist at the institute, said that this might be because heavier women are more likely to diet, exercise regularly or use weight loss supplements -- and might influence their roommate to do the same. According to Kapinos, "It's not really the weight of your roommate that's important, but the behaviors your roommate engages in... These behaviors are what may really be 'contagious.'"

Michigan hopes officials will take notice of the effects of peer pressure on weight management, as obesity in young adults rose 96 percent 1988 to 2009. This was the highest increase in all age groups. Some, however, like the UK Register, hope that public health officials will take this statistic with a grain of salt. According to the Register, the figures "are based on the widely-discredited Body Mass Index (BMI) system, which is based on the idea that human bodies are two-dimensional rather than three-dimensional, producing some bizarre results."

Do these findings surprise you? Let us know what you think!