Family Support for Weight Management: Links between Perceived Quantity and Quality

Abstract

Despite evidence of the positive effects of social support on weight management, researchers have not examined weight management support within the family. To address this gap, we explored factors associated with the perceived quality of four types of familial social support: instrumental, informational, companionship, and emotional. We found that study participants received instrumental support more than other types of support. Familial factors including mother's weight and family communication were significantly associated with the provision of perceived informational or emotional support. Personal factors including sex, race, income, and weight were significantly associated with perceived instrumental, informational, or companionship support. The results also suggest that the perceived quantity of support is an indicator of the support quality.

Keywords:

• Family Communication
• Social Support
• Weight Management

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Dr. Jerold L. Hale in the preparation of this manuscript. The research was supported in part by a cancer prevention fellowship for Shelly Hovick supported by the National Cancer Institute grant R25 T CA57730 (Shine Chang, Ph.D., Principal Investigator) and by the National Institutes of Health through MD Anderson's Cancer Center Support Grant CA016672. Dr. Hovick is also supported by the Kellogg Health Scholars Program, under grant P0117943, from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to the Center for Advancing Health.

Notes

**p < .01, *p < .05.

^a 1 = female, 0 = male.

^b 1 = White, 0 = non-White.

^c 1 = overweight or obese, 0 = normal weight.

*p < .05, **p < .01.

^a 1 = female, 0 = male.

^b 1 = White, 0 = non-White.

^c 1 = overweight or obese, 0 = normal weight.

*p < .05, **p < .01.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shelly R. Hovick

Shelly R. Hovick (PhD, University of Georgia, 2009) is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Behavioral Science at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Todd L. Goen

Todd L. Goen (MA, University of Arkansas, 2005) is an Instructor in the Department of Communication at Christopher Newport University.

Patricia Amason

Patricia Amason (PhD, Purdue University, 1993) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Arkansas.