Obesity is a growing problem globally. More and more children and adults are overweight and obese. Being fat has always been an issue before until today, which is alarming. According to reports, fat children are prone to bullying and depression because they are the least preferred playmates.
Obese Children Prone To Bullying And Depression
Being overweight or obese is a struggle physically and emotionally. The extra pounds hinder one to run as fast as one likes or move naturally, as others do. Aside from this, the heavy weight makes obese kids vulnerable to bullying and being ostracized from their peers.
According to Huffington Post, obese children are the least preferred playmates. They are also teased due to their weight problems, which can have a negative impact on their young minds. Some kids cope with the rejections and insults by overeating, which only makes the matter worse.
"Severe obesity is a clear psychosocial risk for children, even as early as 6 years old," said Amanda Harrist, professor of child development at Oklahoma State University per EurekAlert. She explained that children who are ostracized due to their weight problems suffer great harm than one can imagine. These children suffer loneliness, depression and aggression, and they may likely skip school and drop out later.
Study Details
The researchers examined the social and emotional lives of 1,164 obese first graders from 29 rural schools in Oklahoma. They learned that the severe the obesity, the worse the consequence. The obese children were not mentioned by their peers when asked whom they like to play with, but their names are often mentioned as the least favorite playmates.
In terms of emotional health, severely obese children had shown more symptoms of depression. Overweight, severely obese and obese children also showed physical symptoms, which could be a result of stress or psychological concerns.
Due to these alarming results, the professionals are calling for interventions to help children deal with each other accordingly, despite one's weight issues. "Intervention or prevention efforts should begin early and target peer relationships," suggests Glade L. Topham, associate professor of marriage and family therapy at Oklahoma State University. "Interventions addressing the behavior of peer groups can limit exclusion and teasing, and help students form friendships."
Do you agree that parents, teachers and the community should intervene and teach children how to deal with their obese classmates? Aside from intervention what is the potential solution to make children with normal weight, friendly and more considerate to their obese peers? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
