Team-based competitions may influence weight loss
People who are trying to lose weight may benefit from doing so in teams, a study has found.Researchers at the Miriam Hospital and Brown University in the US studied the benefits of team-based weight loss competitions.
A total of 3,330 people, all of whom were overweight or obese, were assessed after taking part in a 12-week online weight loss competition in which they were divided into 987 teams.
Participants enrolled in one to three divisions - weight loss, physical activity and pedometer steps - and competed against other teams to see who achieved the greatest weight loss.
The researchers found that people who lost clinically significant amounts of weight tended to be on the same teams.
They also observed that people were more likely to lose a significant amount of weight if they reported high levels of teammate social influence.
Lead author Dr Tricia Leahey, whose findings are published in the journal Obesity, said: "We know that obesity can be socially contagious, but now we know that social networks play a significant role in weight loss as well, particularly team-based weight loss competitions."
She added that the results indicate that teammates "influenced each other, perhaps by providing accountability, setting expectations of weight loss and providing encouragement and support".
Britons who need to lose weight are far from alone, as NHS figures suggest that almost a quarter of adults in England were classified as obese in 2009, with a further 44 per cent of men and 33 per cent of women deemed to be overweight.
