Monday, May 03, 2010

Chubby kids get bullied more often - USATODAY.com

Chubby kids get bullied more often - USATODAY.com: The danger of bullying has been making headlines recently, and now a new study shows heavy kids are more likely to be picked on than their normal-weight peers.

The study confirms other research that chubby children are more likely to be the victims of bullying. About one-third of kids in the USA weigh too much.

Researchers at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor analyzed the bullying incidents of 821 children ages 8 to 11.

The study, reported today online in Pediatrics, found that obese children were more likely to be bullied than normal-weight peers, regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status, school demographic profile, social skills or academic achievement.

'This study speaks to the deep prejudice against children who are obese,' says lead author Julie Lumeng, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan.