Weight bias and bullying

by Rebecca Puhl

Overweight and obese kids are very vulnerable to weight bias, and one of the most harmful expressions of bias is peer victimization, such as teasing and bullying. This issue has started to receive more attention in the press because of how many children and adolescents are reporting this problem. As an example, studies show that among children who are overweight, about 1/3 of girls and ¼ of boys report being teased and victimized by peers at school. And, among those who have the highest level of obesity, this jumps to about 60% of girls and boys who report peer victimization.

What’s also concerning is that peer victimization may increase the likelihood of overweight youth becoming bullies themselves. This has been demonstrated in research, and there was also a recent story in the press about two obese adolescent males who were planning a violent act at their school, apparently in retaliation to peers who victimized them because of their weight. This is indeed a serious problem. A question that starts to emerge in my mind is whether schools are enforcing policies that prohibit weight-based bullying. Many schools are explicit about “zero-tolerance” rules for bullying, but I wonder whether this includes weight-based victimization toward overweight and obese youth?

Comments

[jj]

Unfortunately Mister Joshua, bullying, stigma and weight bias have not been associated with any reduction in overweight and obesity.

[Noah]

"Has anyone tried to make an association?

Please provide links."

Please make a distinction between motivating and bullying.

[Terry]

This blog is excellent and is doing an excellent
public service. I assume part of this public service
is to provide a supportive forum for those who are obese.

It's obvious that "Mister Joshua"'s main purpose in
posting here is to bully and show his contempt for anyone
who is overweight. Personally, I think you guys should
ban "Mister Joshua" from posting here (his email and
his IP address). I think you should show zero tolerance
for online bullying.

[jj]

I think it's extremely important to recognize that being overweight or obese is not wrong or a moral evil or evidence of being a bad person. Obesity is a health risk. As public health professionals we need to address health risks, health behavior and the health environment.

Unfortunately bullying is not a solution to improving health risks, behavior or environment. Children who are subject to bullying have lower self efficacy than children who are not bullying victims. On a personal level as someone who's gone from an obese BMI to a normal BMI, I can tell you that self efficacy was a critical factor in that change. Anything that reduces a persons sense of being capable of great things reduces their ability to achieve great things. Additionally, children who are subject to bullying may be less physically active in an attempt to avoid playground interactions.

And finally, as public health professionals, we need to consider health in all it's forms. Bullying of obese adolescents has been associated with significant mental health morbidity (reference: http://tinyurl.com/o3dxn). Promoting an anti-obesity campaign at the expense of mental health would be irresponsible, considering that mental illness is a leading cause of disability adjusted years of life lost. And I'm not saying that obesity is grand and wonderful. But we do need to be careful how we approach these kinds of problems so that our solutions are productive and do not cause harm.

[bluebela]

If an person (child or adult) did some of the things to me today as an adult as were done to me as a child and teenager because of my weight, I could have that person arrested for assault. And would. Unfortunately, bullying in schools goes a lot further than name-calling. And by the way, the 'name-calling' type of bullying can and does cause psychological damage, too. And that is wrong.

Just because one outspoken person thinks so and expresses it, bullying in any of its forms is not okay. Never has been, never will be. It will never be the constructive formula that Mr Joshua outlines above. And it is never a child's 'job' to do it. There is nothing constructive about it.

[bluebela]

If it's okay for you to declare what's morally evil, then so can I. It is morally wrong for anyone, including children, to bully others, no matter what the reason. I base this statement on the dictionary definition of 'moral'. IT IS MORALLY WRONG TO DO THIS, AND IF CHILDREN ARE TAUGHT THAT BULLYING IS OKAY, THEN THE PEOPLE WHO ENABLED THIS BEHAVIOR ARE MORALLY WRONG ALSO.

And it will never stop being the truth that bullying will never accomplish giving a person (child or adult) the incentive to lose weight.

While I have your attention, why do you post things here? You're certainly not converting a single reader or participant to your way of thinking. What's your motivation?

[bluebela]

Your points are not excellent. Your delivery of those points makes them difficult to take seriously. Your prose is so caustic that when I read it I keep thinking that you must be trying to play some sort of unfortunate prank. For a long time I really thought that you were joking all of the time. Many people, including myself, listen, but don't agree with you. That doesn't make any of us "morally evil" or otherwise deficient. The biggest problem that I have with your arguments is that everything for you is completely "black and white"--A + B ALWAYS equals C. Real human life just isn't like that, even part of the time. ESPECIALLY when you're talking about children, of all things. If you completely take the humanity out of everything, then all of life's problems are as simple as you say. But everyone's an individual, with different thoughts, feelings, perspectives, and yes, body chemistry. And there is nothing wrong with teaching children that a behavior that is socially unacceptable isn't acceptable and won't be tolerated. I don't care if children do have a natural tendency to be cruel, which I don't buy anyway. It's not okay, and it's not an effective way to "teach a lesson" to other children.

[Noah]

"Quack. Quack. Quack.

You want to talk weight stigma? How about weight stigma researcher stigma?"

Mister Joshua, maybe you think that arguments against bullying and researching weight stigma are self-serving, and have the actual outcome of keeping overweight people overweight and employed weight bias researchers employed.

Bluebela wrote:

"You're certainly not converting a single reader or participant to your way of thinking"

and she is probably right.

However, you do not need to convince anyone. Your line of thought is commonsense for many people. Those people are who need convincing of something else.

Dr. Puhl, you and your colleagues may have to convince people who keep many prejudices toward the overweight. Presuming your research shows that bullying is undesirable, then maybe the people you want to change are the bullies, rather than those who fail to act with "zero-tolerance" against them.
Please work with others in the educational arena to create solutions that help you change the bullies, rather than repress them.

[Noah]

“His bellows blew too hard, he stoked his fire too hot,
his mettle melted away, he will not cut with that wrought.
But he would chop vegetables if he could.”

Another commenter proposed an argument similar to the following:

1. Children will bully, if they are free to bully.

2. Overweight children who are bullied to lose weight can and do lose weight in response to their bullies.

3. So bullies of overweight children appropriately serve to help overweight children lose weight.

4. Therefore, repressing bullying of overweight children is not appropriate.

The commenter also proposed that:

1. Showing concern for the emotional well-being of bullied, overweight children encourages the children to remain overweight.

2. Peers bullying overweight children may not initially motivate the overweight children to lose weight.

3. So teachers of bullied, overweight children should (without showing overt concern) motivate those children by reminding them that losing weight will end the bullying.

The commenter’s arguments, as he presented them, reflect the attitudes of some gang members, the military, many families, and even schools in some US states where corporal punishment is still the bend-over method of enforcing rules. His arguments are common sense to refute.

Dr. Puhl, you and your colleagues at the Yale Rudd Center advocate the establishment of a changed, healthful, environment, including one that encourages healthful eating and regular exercise. I wonder what about that environment creates enough positive feedback to make it perpetuate itself over decades. Presumably, weight stigma will not be part of that feedback loop. Please write about what in your vision of a positive future keeps us eating, exercising, and treating each other with tolerance.

Maybe that vision can include a world in which self-management of food consumption is an effortless, enjoyable practice, fostered by family instruction, societal norms, and precise scientific knowledge. My wish is that researchers will discover and share knowledge of our genetic and learned food profile, those mental states, food tastes, food components, and eating procedures that either serve or distract us from healthful food consumption. That information can be a product of obesity research. That information will not help reduce weight stigma. It will instead create an even stronger need for effective, appropriate means to guide children toward appropriate eating habits.

[Kayla]

Noah, that's a great point you just raised-- assuming a healthful food environment comes about thanks to the efforts of the Rudd Center and like-minded organizations and advocacy groups, what about that environment creates enough positive feedback to make it perpetuate itself over decades? Dr. Puhl?

[Amanda]

Although I missed out on Mister Joshua's comments (probably a good thing), I get the idea of this conversation....
My conclusion is that this person is one of those bullies who needlessly tortured me all through school. Well, maybe not ME directly, but bullies are all the same, so he might as well be one of them.

I am all about doing research and following evidence based practices and using research to change attitudes, however, I do not need research to tell me what I went through.
Because of the torture I endured throughout my ENTIRE school experience (half of which I was not actually overweight, just taller than the others), I developed a VERY unhealthy relationship with food - it was the only thing that was "there" for me, the only comfort I had, the only "friend" I could turn to. Food became a comfort because of the torture I endured.
Bullying is emotional and psychological ABUSE - usually perpetuated by children toward other children and is WRONG.
I am still highly resentful of those who tortured me - Karma sucks, and I hope they all go to hell.
I truly deep down in my soul believe that if they would have LEFT ME ALONE, I would not have learned to use food as comfort, that I would have viewed my body as normal (which it was), I would not have the emotional problems that I currently do, and I would never have continued to gain weight.
I have already decided that when I have children not only will I do my best to give them a good start nutritionally, but IF I EVER FIND OUT THEY BULLY OTHER CHILDREN - it will not be a happy time in my home...I will never condone that behavior and NEVER let them off the hook for it. My children will know that is not acceptable EVER. I really do not understand why other parents do nothing when their child is the bully...
I'll stop rambling now. But overall, this is a touchy subject for me. Being bullied seriously screwed me up emotionally and set in motion a cascade of events that lead to my weight gain.

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