Open access

Battling Bullying: Do Obese Children Face the Same Fight?

Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
28 February 2014

Abstract

The prevalence of childhood obesity in Canada continues to rise. While the relationship between chronic conditions and related physiological co-morbidities has been examined extensively, less attention has been focused on the psychological and social implications of increased adiposity. This paper addresses the impact of social stigmatization and discrimination, specifically bullying, on the psychological well-being of obese children, and highlights potential solutions from a population health perspective. Additional attention is required to study the impact of stigmatizing experiences on the emotional well-being of obese children and adverse psychosocial outcomes that may be exacerbated by weight bias.

Résumé

La prévalence de l'obésité chez les enfants au Canada monte de façon continue. Beaucoup d’études ont examiné le rapport entre les conditions chroniques et les comorbidités physiologiques liées, mais les conséquences de l'accroissement de l'adiposité aux plans psychologique et social ont été peu abordées. Dans le présent article, on examine l'effet sur le bien-être psychologique des enfants obèses de la stigmatisation et la discrimination sociales, et l'intimidation en particulier. En plus, on suggère des solutions possibles qui abordent le problème du point de vue de la santé de la population. L'effet des expériences stigmatisantes sur le bien-être émotionnel des enfants obèses et les aboutissements psychosociaux défavorables qui pourraient être exacerbés par la partialité basée sur le poids sont des sujets qu'il faudra étudier dans des recherches ultérieures.

Formats available

You can view the full content in the following formats:

References

Aseltine R. H. Jr., James A., Schilling E. A., and Glanovsky J Evaluating the SOS suicide prevention program: A replication and extension BMC Public Health 2007 7 161 -168
Bosch J., Stradmeijer M., and Seidell J Psychosocial characteristics of obese children/youngsters and their families: Implications for preventive and curative interventions Patient Education & Counselling 2004 55 353 -362
Dresler-Hawke E. and Whitehead D The behavioral ecological model as a framework for school-based antibullying health promotion interventions Journal of School Nursing 2009 25 3 195 -204
Eaton D. K., Lowry R., Brener N. D., Galuska D. A., and Crosby A. E Associations of body mass index and perceived weight with suicide ideation and suicide attempts among US high school students Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine 2005 159 6 513 -519
Eisenberg M. E., Neumark-Sztainer D., and Story M Associations of weight-based teasing and emotional well-being among adolescents Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine 2003 157 8 733 -738
Friedman M. A. and Brownell K. D Psychological correlates of obesity: Moving to the next research generation Psychological Bulletin 1995 117 1 3 -20
Janicke D. M., Harman J. S., Kelleher K. J., and Zhang J Psychiatric diagnosis in children and adolescents with obesity-related health conditions Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics 2008 29 276 -284
Janssen I., Craig W. M., Boyce W. F., and Pickett W Associations between overweight and obesity with bullying behaviors in school-aged children Pediatrics 2004 113 5 1187 -1194 Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/
Kukaswadia A., Craig W., Janssen I., and Pickett W Obesity as a determinant of two forms of bullying in Ontario youth: A short report Obesity Facts 2011 4 6 469 -472
Libbey H. P., Story M. T., Neumark-Sztainer D. R., and Boutelle K. N Teasing, disordered eating behaviors, and psychological morbidities among overweight adolescents Obesity (Silver Spring) 2008 16 2 S24 -9
Lumeng J. C., Forrest P., Appugliese D. P., Kaciroti N., Corwyn R. F., and Bradley R. H Weight status as a predictor of being bullied in third through sixth grades Pediatrics 2010 125 6 e1301 -1307
Mannes M., Roehlkepartain E. C., and Benson P. L Unleashing the power of community to strengthen the well-being of children, youth, and families: An asset-building approach Child Welfare 2005 84 2 233 -250
McGuinness T. M Dispelling the myth of bullying Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services 2007 45 10 19 -22 Retrieved from http://www.healio.com/journals/jpn
Schwartz C., Waddell C., Barican J., Garland O., Nightingale L., and Gray-Grant D The mental health implications of childhood obesity Children's Mental Health Research Quarterly 2010 4 1 1 -20 Retrieved from http://www.childhealthpolicy.sfu.ca/research_quarterly_08/rq-pdf/RQ-1-10-Winter.pdf
Shields M Measured obesity: Overweight Canadian children and adolescents Nutrition: Findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey 2005 1 (Catalogue no 82-620-MWE2005001). Retrieved from Statistics Canada, Analytic Studies and Repots http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/pdf/4193660-eng.pdf
Smith P. K., Ananiadou K., and Cowie H Interventions to reduce school bullying Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 2003 48 591 -599 Retrieved from http://publications.cpa-apc.org/browse/sections/0
Taylor S. E., Lerner J. S., Sage R. M., Lehman B. J., and Seeman T. E Early environment, emotions, responses to stress, and health Journal of Personality 2004 72 6 1365 -1393

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

cover image Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 32Number 4December 2013
Pages: 85 - 88

History

Version of record online: 28 February 2014

Key Words

  1. childhood obesity
  2. mental health
  3. bullying

Mots-clés

  1. obésité chez les enfants
  2. santé mentale
  3. intimidation

Authors

Affiliations

Leigh M. Vanderloo
University of Western Ontario
Gillian Mandich
University of Western Ontario

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Other Metrics

Citations

Cite As

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

There are no citations for this item

View Options

View options

PDF

View PDF

Login options

Check if you access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

Subscribe

Click on the button below to subscribe to Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health

Purchase options

Purchase this article to get full access to it.

Restore your content access

Enter your email address to restore your content access:

Note: This functionality works only for purchases done as a guest. If you already have an account, log in to access the content to which you are entitled.

Media

Media

Other

Tables

Share Options

Share

Share the article link

Share on social media