Bullying and Victimization in Overweight and Obese Outpatient Children and Adolescents: An Italian Multicentric Study

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142715
• Publication Date: 2015-11-25T18:46:23Z
• Authors: Dario Bacchini; Maria Rosaria Lic...; Alessandra Garrasi; Nicola Corciulo; Daniela Driul; Rita Tanas; Perla Maria Fiumani; Elena Di Pietro; Sabino Pesce; Antonino Crinò; Giulio Maltoni; Lorenzo Iughetti; Alessandro Sartorio; Manuela Deiana; Francesca Lombardi; Giuliana Valerio
• Keywords: Outpatient clinic

Objective Being overweight or obese is one of the most common reasons that children and adolescents are teased at school. We carried out a study in order to investigate: i) relation between weight status school bullying ii) categories types victimization an outpatient sample Italian with different degrees from minimal up severe obesity. Participants/Methods Nine-hundred-forty-seven (age range 6.0–14.0 years) were recruited 14 hospitals distributed over country Italy. The participants classified as normal-weight (N = 129), 126), moderately 568), severely 124). nature extent verbal, physical relational assessed adapted version revised Olweus bully-victim questionnaire. Each participant was coded bully, victim, bully-victim, not involved. Results Normal-weight less involved than participants; males more double role bully victim. Severely suffered only verbal but also exclusion group activities. Weight directly related behaviour; however perpetrated behaviour compared females. Conclusions Obesity among ongoing concern worldwide may be closely related. Common strategies intervention needed cope these two social health challenges.