Source: KSAT
Based on new findings conducted from elementary and middle school students, overweight and obese children are more likely to have “frenemies” compared to non-overweight children.
With the rates of obesity among children tripling since the 1970s, researchers were surprised to find that overweight children continue to be bullied in school.
“We might expect that as rates of obesity go up and it becomes more normal or common, that we would see people sort of accepting that as a characteristic more,” explained Kayla de la Haye, a behavioral scientist and assistant professor at the University of Southern California.
“What’s probably surprising is how consistently we see this rejection and how strong the effects are for overweight kids being disliked by their peers just really based on that characteristic,” she added.
Health care officials warn that bullying in school can have negative impacts on a student’s emotional and physical health, causing greater weight gain for the child.
Read full story at: KSAT