Abstract
Objective: We examined health-related communication between same-sex and other-sex friends and how communication was related to health-related behavior.
Participants: Data from 243 emerging adults attending college (Mage = 18.96, SD = 1.43; 55.6% male) were analyzed.
Methods: Participants completed measures assessing the frequency in which they talked about and made plans to engage in exercise and nutrition-related behaviors with friends, as well as how often they engaged in exercise and nutrition-related behaviors.
Results: In general, participants reported more health-related communication with same-sex friends. Health-related communication with same-sex friends was positively related to health behaviors for men and women. However, the pattern of results differed for men and women depending on the topic of communication and the behavior being examined.
Conclusion: Our study extends the literature by examining the role of sex of friends in health communication and planning and how interactions with friends relate to health-promoting behavior.