We prospectively examined the relationship between perceived social support and abdominal fat distribution. A 3-year follow-up study of 235 randomly selected healthy adolescents and young adults was used. Abdominal fat distribution was measured by means of the waist to hip circumference ratio (WHR), and social support was measured by the Perceived Social Support Scale-Revised. Data were analysed using structural equation models. Changes in social support were inversely associated with changes in WHR, adjusted for body-mass index, among boys and men. This association was less evident among girls and women. The relationship of social support with WHR was independent of depression and hostility. The findings suggest that social support may protect against abdominal fat accumulation, thereby potentially decreasing the risk of coronary heart disease later in life.
Copyright 1998 Academic Press.