Overweight Kids More Likely To Be Bullied

More children are overweight these days, but heavy kids are still more likely to be bullied, a study finds. Researchers looked at data on 821 children. All were part of a larger long-term study. The children, their mothers and their teachers were asked questions about bullying. The surveys occurred when the kids were in third, fifth and sixth grades. Kids who were overweight were 63% more likely to be bullied than kids of normal weight. Researchers also looked at other factors that often affect which kids get bullied. In the case of overweight kids, though, these factors didn’t matter. They were more likely to get bullied regardless of their gender, race, income level, grades or social skills. The study was published online in the journal Pediatrics. HealthDay News and Reuters Health news service wrote about it May 3.