Without intervention, children and young adolescents classified as obese are likely to remain so throughout adolescence and adulthood. This study investigated whether asking early adolescents to evaluate the food choices of remote peers improves their own food selection. It does, and stage of cognitive development matters! 467 students from fifth (N = 219, Mage = 9.30 years) and sixth grades (N = 248, Mage = 10.28 years) living in the United Arab Emirates were randomly assigned into four treatment groups. The evaluation of peer choices led to healthier decisions (d = .53) - to the point that it offset the negative impact of observing unhealthy peer choices. |
