Families

Children with high body weight are vulnerable to weight bias and weight stigma. This means that they may be the target of negative attitudes in the form of stereotypes, prejudice and unfair treatment because of their weight. Weight bias can be expressed in different ways, such as verbal comments (e.g., name-calling, derogatory comments, and teasing), physical aggression (e.g., being pushed, shoved, kicked, and bullied), and social exclusion (e.g., being avoided, ignored, and excluded by others).

It can be difficult to know what to do as a parent if your child is being teased or bullied because of his or her weight. Before talking to your child, it can be helpful to acknowledge how uncomfortable and difficult it can be for you as a parent to address this issue. Despite the difficulty of the situation, it is important to communicate to your child that teasing is never acceptable, regardless of whether the teasing is directed at appearance, weight, skin color, accent, religion, etc.

Furthermore, family members can sometimes contribute to the weight bias that youth experience. Our research has found that youth with higher body weight report experiencing weight-based teasing from their parents and other family members, and these experiences can have lasting health consequences.

Together, all these sources of weight bias can have a major impact on young people’s psychological, social, and physical health. On an emotional level, being teased or bullied about weight can lead to poor body image, low self-esteem, depression, and suicidal thoughts. These experiences also have negative consequences for physical health, as young people who are teased or bullied about their weight are more likely to engage in unhealthy weight control behaviors, binge eating, less physical activity, and are more likely to gain weight over time.

Our research shows that there are a number of ways that students, teachers, and parents can provide support to young people who are being teased or bullied about weight. For more information, please view the research brief we created with UConn CSCH on this topic and access the resources below for parents and teens.

Resources

For Parents
Bullying Resources:

For Kids

A guide to bullying and cyberbullying: Whether it's overtly aggressive or not, bullying is detrimental to students of all ages. The various forms that bullying can take — verbal, social, physical, and cyber — present different challenges, but all are ultimately harmful. This resource from onlineschools.org explains in detail what cyberbullying is, what its effects are, and how to prevent it.

For Teenagers

A guide to bullying and cyberbullying: Whether it's overtly aggressive or not, bullying is detrimental to students of all ages. The various forms that bullying can take — verbal, social, physical, and cyber — present different challenges, but all are ultimately harmful. This resource from onlineschools.org explains in detail what cyberbullying is, what its effects are, and how to prevent it.

Video: Weight Prejudice Myths & Facts

The Rudd Center has created this video to increase youth awareness about weight bias and weight stigma, and to highlight strategies to help combat this rapidly growing problem for overweight adolescents. This video shows the story of Bene, a girl who is teased and victimized about her weight at school.

In response to the daily teasing she confronts, Bene decides to educate her classmates about weight bias by making her own under-cover video to address the weight stigma that overweight youth encounter. Presented by Rebecca Puhl, PhD, Marlene Schwartz, PhD and Karen Dorsey, MD.

Watch the Video

Video: Weight Bias at Home & School

The Rudd Center created this video to help parents and teachers understand the severity and impacts of weight bias and weight stigma in school and at home and to present strategies to help combat this rapidly growing problem for overweight teens and pre-adolescents. This video, hosted by celebrity and activist Emme and featuring Rudd Center experts including Dr. Rebecca Puhl and Dr. Kelly Brownell, uses expert commentary and dramatic representation to address the obstacles that overweight and obese youth encounter with weight bias.

Watch the Video