Understanding the social undermining of dietary and physical activity behaviors: A systematic scoping review.

Abstract

Objective: Social undermining of dietary and physical activity behavior may impact one's ability to lose or maintain weight. This review aims to identify how social undermining of dietary and physical activity behavior has been conceptualized and measured in the existing literature, and what is known about its effects on weight management.

Method: Studies were retrieved from three electronic databases and were included if they focused on examining the social undermining of dietary and physical activity behavior in adults. Two coders independently evaluated the eligibility criteria of each study and extracted data.

Results: Thirty-three studies were identified. Populations included individuals enrolled in weight loss programs (k = 11) and non-treatment-seeking populations (k = 22). Many study participants were White, but 11 studies sampled non-White populations exclusively. Multiple measures have been used to assess the social undermining of dietary and physical activity behavior, many having limited evidence of reliability and validity. Although studies on prevalence are limited, undermining has been reported to occur in 28% of individuals, and family has been identified as a primary source of undermining. Studies aiming to link undermining with actual eating and physical activity behaviors and weight outcomes are limited, and these links have been supported in some studies. Few studies examined the undermining intentionality, defined undermining, or tested individual characteristics associated with undermining.

Conclusion: Future research should seek to improve the measurement of undermining and use a variety of additional research methods to move the field toward better understanding and ability to address social undermining of weight behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).