MONDAY, May 3 (HealthDay News) — For kids, a few extra pounds may invite trouble from the schoolyard bully.

New research suggests that just being overweight increases the risk
of being bullied. And factors that usually play a role in the risk of
being bullied, such as gender, race and family income levels, don’t seem
to matter if you’re overweight — being overweight or obese trumps all
those other factors when it comes to aggressive behavior from other
children.

The study found that being overweight increased the risk of being the target of bullying by 63 percent.

“One of the reasons we started this study is that obesity is so
much more common today. Now that about half of kids are overweight or
obese, it doesn’t make you such an outlier anymore, so we thought maybe
kids wouldn’t be bullied for being overweight anymore,” said study
author Dr. Julie Lumeng, an assistant research scientist at the Center
for Human Growth and Development at the University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor. She added that the researchers also hoped they might be able to
find some protective factors against being bullied, such as doing well
in school.

“What we found, much to our dismay, was that nothing seemed to
matter. If you were obese, you were more likely to be bullied, no matter
what,” she said.

Results of the study will be published in the June issue of Pediatrics, but were released online May 3.

The study included 821 boys and girls from a nationally
representative sample of children selected from 10 sites around the
United States. Bullying behaviors were assessed in third, fifth and
sixth grades. The youngsters were mostly white, half of them were male
and 15 percent were overweight in the third grade.

By sixth grade, teachers reported that 34 percent of the study
children had been bullied, and mothers reported that 45 percent of the
children had been bullied, while 25 percent of the children themselves
said they had been bullied.

Previous research has shown that boys, minorities and children from
low-income groups are more likely to be bullied, so the researchers
took these factors into account to see if they made a difference. The
study authors also considered a child’s social skills and academic
achievement in their analysis.

“No matter how much we retested, the findings were very robust. Obese kids are more likely to be bullied,” said Lumeng.

She said that one of the reasons she believes the findings were so
consistent is that prejudice against overweight or obese people is “so
pervasive that it’s acceptable.” But, she added, “Obesity is really
complex. It’s not all about willpower. It’s a brain-based disorder, and I
hope that message becomes clearer.”

Dana Rofey, an assistant professor with the Weight Management and
Wellness Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, said she wasn’t
surprised by the findings. “Bullying is the most common psychosocial
complaint that our patients present with,” she said.

“For parents and pediatricians, one of the issues our study raises
is that if you’re caring for a child who’s overweight, you need to be
alert to this and you might want to gently bring it up with the child.
Ask, ‘How are things at school going?’ or ‘Does anyone ever say
something that makes you feel bad?’ because this may be an issue that’s
difficult for kids to bring up,” said Lumeng.

If your child lets you know that he or she is being bullied, Lumeng
said your first response should be to validate your child’s feelings
and let them know that it’s not OK for someone to treat them like that.

What to do next can be tricky, agreed both experts.

“Be supportive, and let your child know that you’ll help them.
Consult with your child and ask how he or she would like you to get
involved,” advised Rofey. Many youngsters may ask their parents to take a
hands-off approach, she said. But she recommends setting some
guidelines. “Say something like, ‘It seems you have this under control
right now, but let’s keep talking and checking in about it.’”

Rofey also recommends teaching your child how to avoid situations
that might lead to teasing or bullying, and talking with your child
about how to reach out to adults if they need to. Depending on the
situation, she said that parents may need to step in and advocate for
their children at the school. But, she advised always letting your
children know what steps you’ll be taking.