Severely Obese Children Picked On, Bullied More Than Normal-Weight Kids

HealthDay (5/25, Reinberg) reports, “As early as first grade, severely obese children are getting teased, picked on and bullied more than normal-weight kids,” research published online May 25 in Child Development indicates. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after gathering “data on nearly 1,200 first graders from 29 rural schools in Oklahoma.”

Medical Daily (5/25, Bushak) reports that youngsters “in general, including non-obese kids, rarely mentioned obese children as being a favorite classmate or playmate compared to non-obese kids.” What’s more, kids who were “severely obese…were more likely to be teased or ostracized and to show symptoms of depression.” Children “who were severely obese had it worse than those who were simply overweight.”

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— “‘Fat Shaming’ Begins in First Grade,” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, May 25, 2016.

Posted in In The News.