ADC

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER


[Advanced]
Published Online First: 20 September 2005. doi:10.1136/adc.2005.072314
Archives of Disease in Childhood 2006;91:121-125
Copyright © 2006 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
adc.2005.072314v1
91/2/121    most recent
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this link to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in ADC Online
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Add article to my folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Griffiths, L J
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Griffiths, L J
Topic Collections
Right arrowRelated Articles

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Obesity and bullying: different effects for boys and girls

L J Griffiths1, D Wolke2, A S Page, J P Horwood2,3 the ALSPAC Study Team

1 Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, London, UK
2 Department of Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
3 Department of Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr L J Griffiths
Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK; l.griffiths{at}ich.ucl.ac.uk

Aims: To investigate whether weight category (underweight, average weight, overweight, and obese) at age 7.5 predicts bullying involvement at 8.5 years. Models were tested separately for boys and girls to investigate gender differences in association patterns.

Methods: Prospective cohort study in southwest England. Height and weight were measured in children at age 7.5 (n = 8210). BMI (kg/m2) was used to define underweight, average weight, overweight, and obese children, according to British age and gender specific growth reference data. Overt (n = 7083) and relational (n = 6932) bullying behaviour was assessed in children at age 8.5.

Results: After adjustment for parental social class, compared to average weight boys, obese boys were 1.66 (95% CI 1.04 to 2.66) times more likely to be overt bullies and 1.54 (1.12 to 2.13) times more likely to be overt victims. Obese girls were 1.53 (1.09 to 2.15) times more likely to be overt victims compared to average weight girls.

Conclusions: Obesity is predictive of bullying involvement for both boys and girls. Preadolescent obese boys and girls are more likely to be victims of bullying because they deviate from appearance ideals. Other obese boys are likely to be bullies, presumably because of their physical dominance in the peer group.

Keywords: victimisation; bullying; obesity


Related Articles

Atoms
Howard Bauchner
Arch. Dis. Child. 2006 91: 95. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Sticks and stones can break...: building a case for when names can hurt you
M Augustyn
Arch. Dis. Child. 2006 91: 98. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 BMJHome page
Minerva
BMJ, February 4, 2006; 332(7536): 312 - 312.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch. Dis. Child.Home page
M Augustyn
Sticks and stones can break...: building a case for when names can hurt you.
Arch. Dis. Child., February 1, 2006; 91(2): 98 - 98.
[Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER
ARCH DIS CHILD FETAL NEONATAL ED ED PRACTICE
Terms and conditions relating to subscriptions purchased online  ¦  Website terms and conditions  ¦  Privacy policy
Copyright © 2006 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health