Objectives. This study investigated the importance of environmental influences in explaining weight gain among freshman college students. Methods. We exploited a natural experiment that takes place on most college campuses in the US - randomized dormitory assignments. We estimated the effects of...

This study investigates the importance of peer effects in explaining weight gain among freshman college students. We exploit a natural experiment that takes place on most college campuses in the US - randomized roommate assignments. While previous studies suggest that having an obese spouse,...