- Bloated After That Holiday Meal? What’s Normal, What’s Not
- Get Off the Couch: Another Study Shows Sitting’s Health Dangers
- Falling Vaccination Rates Brings Spikes in Measles Worldwide
- Nearly 260 Million Americans Could Be Overweight or Obese by 2050
- Over 40? Get Fitter and Live 5 Extra Years
- Can AI Boost Accuracy of Doctors’ Diagnoses?
- More Evidence That GLP-1 Meds Curb Alcohol Abuse
- Breathing Dirty Air Might Raise Eczema Risks
- Chlamydia Vaccine Shows Early Promise in Mice
- Stop Worrying So Much About Holiday Weight Gain, Experts Say
Obese Kids a Universal Target for Bullies
“Being fat” is seen as the most common reason why children are bullied, a new study reveals.
Researchers who surveyed more than 2,800 adults in the United States, Canada, Iceland and Australia said at least 70 percent of respondents believed that weight was a common reason for bullying. A similar number regarded weight-related bullying as a serious or very serious problem.
Weight-related bullying was considered to be more common than bullying for reasons such as race/ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion.
“Given high rates of childhood obesity in these and many other countries, both school-level and policy-level remedies may be needed to address weight-based bullying on a broad level to improve quality of life for youth with obesity,” said study author Rebecca Puhl, deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut.
Schools should raise awareness about, and take more action to reduce, weight-related bullying, according to 75 percent to 87 percent of the adults. About three-quarters of the respondents said governments should strengthen existing anti-bullying laws to include measures to combat weight-related bullying.
At least 60 percent of the adults in the different countries said schools, teachers, parents, health care providers and governments have an important role in preventing weight-related bullying, according to the study published recently in the journal Pediatric Obesity.
“Our study shows that there is substantial public support for these policy measures,” Puhl said in a university news release.
“Our findings echo recent research from the U.S. showing that parents favor strengthening school-based policies and state laws to address weight-based bullying,” she added. “The time may be ripe to implement school-level policy changes to ensure that vulnerable youth are protected.”
More information
The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about bullying.
Source: HealthDay
Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.