Fat school-aged children are more likely to be the targets of a bully's taunting and teasing than their normal-weight peers. The overweight and obese children suffer more relational problems (withdrawal of friendship or being the target of rumors and lies) and overt problems (name-calling, teasing, hitting, kicking, or pushing), but not sexual harassment.
The older the over-weight and obese youths, the more likely they are to suffer from bullying. For girls, the relationship is true only for overt problems. For boys, it's true for both relational and overt problems.
How these problems specifically affect the psychological and social development of these children is not known. However, it's difficult to imagine that the teasing and taunting is totally harmless. This means there is one more reason to fit fight obesity by encouraging your children to eat properly and get enough exercise.
Pediatrics, 5/04
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