Previous research by King’s College London found that children who experienced bullying in the 1960s were more likely to be obese at age 45. It was unclear, however, whether they were overweight at a younger age.
A new study by researchers at King’s College set out to examine whether bullying has a similar effect on the weight of bullying victims today. Not only does bullying take different forms, such as cyber-bullying, but the environment in which children grow up has changed.
Unhealthy food is readily available and many children lead more sedentary lifestyles.
The research team analysed data from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study, which has followed more than 2,000 children in England and Wales from birth to the age of 18.
They did interviews with mothers and their children at the ages of seven, 10 and 12, asking about bullying at primary and secondary school. When the children reached the age of 18 the researchers measured their body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio.
The team found that 28 per cent of children who took part in the study had been bullied at primary or secondary school. Thirteen per cent had been bullied at both primary and secondary school (defined as chronic bullying). They discovered that children who were chronically bullied at school were 1.7 times more likely to be overweight at the age of 18 than children who were not bullied.
At the time they were victimised bullied children were not more likely to be overweight than children who were not bullied but by the age of 18 bullied children had a higher BMI and waist-hip ratio.
The team’s analysis, published in Psychosomatic Medicine, also showed that children who were chronically bullied at school became overweight independent of their genetic risk of being overweight or factors like socioeconomic status, low IQ and poor mental health.
“Bullying is commonly associated with mental health problems, but there is little research examining the physical health of bullied children,” said Dr Andrea Danese from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. “Our study shows that bullied children are more likely to be overweight as young adults and that they become overweight independent of their genetic liability and after experiencing victimisation.”