Weight Status as a Predictor of Being Bullied in Third Through Sixth Grades

Abstract

OBJECTIVES Childhood obesity and bullying both are pervasive public health problems. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between childhood obesity and being bullied in third, fifth, and sixth grades while testing for potential confounding and moderation. METHODS A total of 821 children who were participating in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (50% male, 81% white, 17% obese, 15% overweight in third grade) were studied. Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the relationship between child weight status and the odds of being bullied as reported by child, mother, and teacher, accounting for repeated measures and adjusting for grade level in school, child gender, child race, family income-to-needs ratio, school racial and socioeconomic composition, and mother- and teacher-reported child social skills and child academic achievement. RESULTS In sixth grade, 33.9%, 44.5%, and 24.9% of the children were reported to be bullied per teacher-, mother-, and self-report, respectively. There was a significant independent association between being obese and being bullied (odds ratio: 1.63 [95% confidence interval: 1.18–2.25]). The relationship between being obese and being bullied was attenuated but not eliminated by all covariates except gender. The relationship was not moderated by any of the covariates. CONCLUSIONS Children who are obese are more likely to be bullied, regardless of a number of potential sociodemographic, social, and academic confounders. No protective factors were identified. Effective interventions to reduce bullying of obese children need to be identified.

Teasing and social rejection among obese children enrolling in family-based behavioural treatment: effects on psychological adjustment and academic competencies

“…21,22 Overweight youth have been rated lower in peer acceptance 23 and at increased risk of experiencing teasing and social rejection, 16,24 even when factors such as gender, race, SES, academic competencies and social skills have been taken into account. 25 Experiencing teasing and social rejection has been associated with higher rates of psychological maladjustment 26,27 as well as with academic problems, 28 and may therefore not only be an important contributing factor in explaining the association between obesity and increased likelihood of psychological maladjustment, but also the association between higher body mass index (BMI) and lower academic competencies. Recent population studies from children and youth in Iceland lend support to this hypothesis as cross-sectional associations between higher BMI, psychological maladjustment and lower academic competencies, as displayed by academic performance, were observed.…”

Weight-Based Victimization: Bullying Experiences of Weight Loss Treatment–Seeking Youth

“…1 This finding is especially concerning given that the number of overweight and obese youth has increased substantially over recent decades, 2 and in 2010, 32% of US 2-to 19-year-olds were classified as clinically overweight or obese. 3 Although previous research [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] and recent reviews 14,15 have linked child BMI with involvement in victimization, there has been limited comprehensive assessment of teasing/ bullying specifically about weight (ie, weight-based victimization [WBV]), especially in weight loss treatment-seeking samples of overweight youth.…”

The Effect of Maternal Beliefs and Behavior on the Body Weight Status of Preschool-aged Children

“…Obese younger children (ages 8-11) were found to be almost two times more likely to be bullied than their non-obese counterparts. The odds of the obese child being bullied held true regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, social skills, or school achievement (Lumeng et al, 2010). This remained true in children ages 11-16 (Janssen et al, 2004).…”

“…Farhat and colleagues found that obese adolescent females, ages 11-17, were more likely to be bullied as well as be the perpetrators of bullying (Farhat, Iannotti, & Simmons-Morton, 2010). Overall however, obese children are more likely to be the victims of bullying (Baum & Forehand, 1984;Janssen et al, 2004;Lumeng et al, 2010;Pearce, Boergers, & Prinstein, 2002). Obese younger children (ages 8-11) were found to be almost two times more likely to be bullied than their non-obese counterparts.…”