Study: Teasing About Weight Causes Emotional Problems for Teens

Teenagers teased about their weight in school are more likely to have low self-esteem, depression and suicidal tendencies, according to a study in the August issue of the Achives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

The study sheds light on the little-studied subject of weight-based teasing and its potential harmful effects on the pscychological and social well-being of young people.

Of 4,746 adolescents in school districts in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, 30 percent of girls and 25 percent of boys were teased by peers about their weight, and 29 percent of girls and 16 percent of boys were subjected to similar teasing by family members. About 15 percent of girls and 10 percent of boys reported teasing from both of these sources.

Teasing about body weight was consistently associated with low body satisfaction, low self-esteem, high depressive symptoms, and thinking about and attempting suicide, even after controlling for actual body weight. Teasing from two sources was linked to more emotional health problems than either teasing from a single source or no teasing.

"Physicians and other health care providers should recognize the importance of weight-based teasing for young patients," concluded the researchers. "Policy, programs and education should focus on increasing awareness of what constitutes weight-based teasing, its potentially harmful effects on adolescents' emotional well-being, and reduction of this behavior."

Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine 2003;157:733-738