If there’s one change we all want in the future, it’s no more “Columbine”-type mass murders in schools. We all hate bullies and scientists have discovered that they are more likely to attack fat kids, who already have plenty of problems: About half of mothers of children who are obese at age 5 report some form of intimate partner violence (in other words, their MOMS are bullied too!)
Childhood obesity and bullying are both pervasive public health problems. Obesity among children in the United States has risen to epidemic proportions with 17% of 6 to 11 year olds estimated to be obese between 2003 and 2006. In addition, parents of obese children rate bullying as their top health concern and past studies have shown that obese children who are bullied experience more depression anxiety and loneliness.
Pediatrician Julie C. Lumeng says, “Physicians who care for obese children should consider the role that being bullied is playing in the child
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