Children who are body shamed about their weight are more likely to pack on the pounds, a new study has found. Researchers from the Uniformed Services University in the US conducted the study.
The research contradicts the notion that teasing could motivate people to change their behaviour.For the study, almost 100 youths, whose average age was around 11, were part of the study. The participants were either overweight or had parents that were overweight or obese. The children were asked to complete a questionnaire to understand whether or not they were teased about their weight.
Follow-up procedures were conducted by researchers over the next 15 years. Natasha A. Schvey, an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University, and her team found that the kids that were teased a lot gained close to .20 kg annually compared to those children that were not bullied. The results showed teasing and bullying overweight children could increase their weight by 33 per cent. The findings were originally published in the journal Pediatric Obesity.
The team hypothesis the weight gain may be due to the fact the teens chose to engage in unhealthy behaviours, like overeating and lack of exercise, because they were being fat-shamed. Beng teased in this way could also cause stress which releases the hormone cortisol, which can also increase weight gain.
Previous research has also found psychological distress increases the risk of obesity in people with lower incomes.Researchers came to this conclusion after 150 participants from North West England from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds completed a questionnaire so the team could measure psychological distress, emotional eating and resilience.
"The reason for socioeconomic disparities in obesity levels is often attributed to the greater availability of low-cost, calorie-dense foods in more deprived areas relative to more affluent neighbourhoods," Charlotte Hardman, lead researcher of the study, told a news portal. Adding, "However, there is limited evidence for an association between local food environments and obesity, indicating psychological and emotional factors may also play a role."
Tackling obesity issues is crucial as it can result in more dangerous health issues like heart disease, cancer and diabetes.