Children enrolled in primary and secondary education are twice as likely to be overweight as a result of bullying as compared to their counterparts, non-bullied children. By the time these children enter adulthood, they become more obese than they actually should be independent of their genetic influences on them.
According to new Cohort study, children who are bullied in their school years are more likely to grow into overweight adults. The study was carried on a sample size of 2000 students from England and Wales, whose trends were visualized and evaluated between the years of 1994 to when they turned 18 years old.
The study by King's College London found out that 28 percent of the people are either bullied in secondary or primary school years. This is called transitory bullying. On the other hand, 13 percent of these children were found to be victims of severe or chronic bullying.
The study revealed that those who experienced constant bullying were 1.7 times more likely to be obese and overweight as compared to those who were not bullied. Moreover, one of the authors also said that though it seems to be a vague relationship after ruling out other likely elements like genetic liability, it seems to be the only reason.
They said that taking measures to control bullying or providing students with enough counseling, can help reduce the obesity factor. The study was carried out in the modern context rather than old. Multiple factors contribute to obesity that previously did not exist in past generations. For example increased trend of the junk food. Also, few types of bullying like cyberbullying did not live in the past. This shows that those who are victims of bullying are more likely to gain weight. Bullied children also have a higher BMI and waist or hip size.
Keeping all this in view, Global News reports that it is imperative for schools to pay attention to children's mental health as well as their academic well being. It is likely to affect their personality and self-confidence when they grow up.
