The Emotional Toll of Obesity

Three times as many 6- to 17-year-olds are overweight now than 30 years ago. And the epidemic of alarming proportions is only getting worse — some researchers project that nearly half of the kids in North America will weigh too much by 2010.

Being overweight or obese can significantly affect kids' daily way of life, potentially causing serious physical and psychological problems now and in the future, says a recent study. Researchers from Yale University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa pored through 40 years of findings to analyze the extensive, often endless stigma that overweight children commonly endure.

According to the study, kids and teens carrying around excess pounds may be the targets of bias and stereotyping not only from their peers, but also teachers and, surprisingly, their parents. Kids who are overweight frequently experience unfair treatment, prejudice, and discrimination, says the study, and are often:

• prone to low self-esteem, depression, and suicidal thoughts
• teased, bullied, or rejected by peers (even as early as preschool)
• more likely to develop unhealthy dieting habits and eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia

Overweight children are also already at risk for conditions once thought only to affect adults (like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol). And, according to the study, the cruel treatment and social disadvantages associated with being overweight may have lasting, harmful effects on everything from kids' physical health to their education, from their relationships to their jobs.

That's why the researchers say discrimination of overweight kids and teens is just as serious an issue as "racial discrimination or discrimination against children with physical disabilities."