A new British study finds that overweight teens are likely to feel stigmatized, isolated and even bullied for their size.
"The perspectives of young people in the U.K., when synthesized across the spectrum of body sizes, paint a picture of a stigmatizing and abusive social world," researchers from the Institute of Education at the University of London wrote.
According to the study, about 20 percent of kids aged 11 to 15 are considered to be obese in the United Kingdom. Researchers found 30 studies that surveyed teens in the United Kingdom (aged 12 to 18) about weight issues. More than 1,400 children -- of all body sizes -- answered the surveys between 1997 and 2010.
Overall, the survey participants felt the social problems caused by excess weight were a bigger deal than health problems. Those surveyed tended to believe that people are responsible for their weight; some respondents linked excess weight to laziness, greed and lack of control, along with a lower level of attractiveness. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_145995.html
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