As
we see an epidemiological change from communicable disease to chronic disease,
the world of public health has begun to focus on the obesity epidemic. Obesity
can lead to many adverse health outcomes, such as diabetes, cardiovascular
disease and some types of cancers (World Health Organization, 2015) . Is it
possible that obesity itself has become a determinant for health—both physically
and mentally? Although there are multiple determinants that impact one’s weight
status, being overweight itself becomes a determinant of poor mental and
physical health when the confounders are adjusted particularly for school-aged
children. Teasing and bullying have a profound impact on the mental wellbeing
of an individual, and there is substantial evidence showing that one’s weight
status plays a role in his or her victimization.
A study
by Lumeng et al. (2010) indicates that obese children ages eight to 10 were
more likely to be bullied as compared to their non-obese peers, independent of
the obese child’s race, gender, socioeconomic status, social skills, school
demographic or academic achievement. To that end, obesity appears to be just as
powerful than other factors commonly associated with prejudice among both
children and adults—if not more so.
As with
many other situations involving an “at-risk” population, one common assumption
is that individuals of a lower socioeconomic status tend to be more adversely
affected by risk factors than their peers. That’s not necessarily the case with
weight-related victimization, as evidenced by Lumeng’s investigation of the
theory that if an obese child were in the racial majority, was non-poor,
attended a school that was less socioeconomically or racially diverse, had
strong social skills or had higher academic achievement, then that child’s
likelihood of being bullied due to his or her obesity would be reduced. After
examining all of these possible contributors, the study found that none
affected one’s vulnerability to being victimized based on weight.
The
authors also examined the possibility that “…children are not bullied because
they are obese, but rather that being bullied creates stress and unhappiness
that leads to behaviors such as excessive comfort food consumption that
contribute to excessive weight gain” (Lumeng et al., 2010). The researchers
followed the individuals studied for three years and, considering changes the
participants had in body mass index (BMI), found that obesity caused bullying,
but that bullying did not necessarily cause obesity within the group of third-
to sixth-grade students in the survey.
Given
the issues raised by the studies and the stigmas overweight and obese youth
face, even related to how they see themselves, there appears to be a
significant need for anti-bullying efforts that address obesity specifically.
This is an issue that intersects with and, arguably, supersedes other so-called
risk factors like socioeconomic status and school demographics, as children who
suffer from weight-related victimization come from many different backgrounds.
However, there are gaps in the current evidence-based programs available to
schools, social workers and prevention specialists, making for a situation in
which one of the biggest issues youth face on a daily basis gets overlooked.
More research is needed on how to develop programming that reduces or
eliminates the engrained stigma against overweight and obese people in society,
especially as more schools and educational organizations place an emphasis on
reducing the prevalence of bullying among youth.
Works Cite
Campbell
Development Group, LLC . (2012, september 16). "Can Do" Street
Blog: Parent and Teachers. Retrieved June 2, 2015, from
http://candostreet.com/blog-parents/2012/09/childhood-obesity-awareness-month/
Lumeng, J.C., Forrest, P., Appugliese,
D.P., Kaciroti, N., Corwyn, R., & Bradley, R.H. (2010). Weight status as a
predictor of being bullied in third through sixth grades. Pediatrics, 131(1).
World Health
Organization. (2015). Media Center: Obesity and Overweight. Retrieved
June 2, 2015, from World Health Organization:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/
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