Digital Journal — Overweight kids miss more school than their normal-weight peers, but not because of health reasons: this absenteeism could occur because of the stigma and bullying that goes along with being an obese kid, researchers say.
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University in Philadelphia reported that, on average, obese children were absent 20 per cent more often than their peers, according to Medical News Today. In addition, News-medical.net pointed out how many days were missed by kids with a high body mass index (BMI):
Obese or overweight children missed 12 days of school during the school year, compared with 10 days for kids with normal weight.
The casual observer may speculate that these kids are experiencing health problems that contribute to their truancy. But the researchers debunk that theory, saying in a statement:
What’s keeping them from school, more than heath issues, is the stigma and the bullying that accompanies being overweight. Future research should explore this additional, very damaging side effect of being overweight.
The study looked at 1,069 fourth- to sixth-graders for one academic year in nine Philadelphia schools. Based on BMI, a standard measure of height and weight, each child was classified as underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese. Teachers took attendance each day. The results will be published in the August issue of the journal Obesity.
Educators are hopeful this study will spur action among politicians. Jim Bogden, healthy eating project coordinator for the National Association of State Boards of Education, told Fox News:
This is exactly the kind of study that will get the attention of policy makers. The correlation with absenteeism is very powerful.
Bogden is on point with his statement, because for too long policy makers have ignored the very dangerous reality of obese children. It’s almost become a complacent fact — “yes, kids are fat, but what’re you going to do? They love fast food and video games, right?” With U.S. childhood obesity rates tripling in the past 25 years, this health problem is not going away anytime soon. And as this study reiterates, the health issue has morphed into a social issue.
Missing school is a dire consequence of obesity, while also tainting a child’s future. As Science Daily points out, the disadvantages that come from absenteeism include increased drug use, increased rates of pregnancy and poor academic performance. As we know anecdotally and through published research, bullying can do more than just keep kids from school; boys who are bullied have a high risk of mental health disorders as young men.
So what’s the solution? There’s no one answer, but rather a mosaic of solutions: policy makers have to block fast-food companies from infiltrating schools; parents have to educate their children on nutrition and the benefits of exercise; and school administrators have to make a concerted effort to stamp out bullying and seriously reprimand any ruffian they catch beating up kids. If those ideas are put into action, the obesity rates may sink to manageable levels. Also, students won’t fear morning class or pray, with clenched fists, to be saved by the bell.
