Percentage of Canadian students in Grades 6 through 10 who reported being made fun of because of their body weight, by weight category and frequency of bullying, Canada, 2014 – The Health of Canada’s Children and Youth

5.2.4 Percentage of Canadian students in Grades 6 through 10 who reported being made fun of because of their body weight, by weight category and frequency of bullying, Canada, 2014

Source: CICH graphic created using data from Freeman JG, King M and Pickett W. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) in Canada: Focus on Relationships. 2016. Using data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey. 2014. Accessed April 8, 2018. http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/publications/science-research-sciences-recherches/health-behaviour-children-canada-2015-comportements-sante-jeunes/alt/health-behaviour-children-canada-2015-comportements-santé-jeunes-eng.pdf

in 2014, 11% of Canadian children and youth in Grades 6 through 10 reported that they had been bullied about their body weight or shape in the last two months.

Seven percent had been bulled once or twice, 2% had been bullied 2 or 3 times a month and 2% had been bullied once a week to several times a week.

Nineteen percent of children and youth who were thin had been bullied about their body shape or size as had 22% of those who were overweight and 36% of those who were obese.

Implications
When children and youth are made fun or teased as a result of their body weight or shape, it negatively impacts their satisfaction with their body and can impact their behaviours to control their weight – such as dieting. This is a form of bullying. It is common among young people – particularly those who are overweight or obese.¹ It can result in low self-esteem and depression.^2,3

¹Freeman JG, King M and Pickett W. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) in Canada: Focus on Relationships. 2016. http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/publications/science-research-sciences-recherches/health-behaviour-children-canada-2015-comportements-sante-jeunes/index-eng.php
²Eisenberg, M. E., Neumark-Sztainer, D., & Story, M. (2003). Associations of weight-based teasing and emotional well-being among adolescents. Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, 157(8), 733-738.
³Neumark-Sztainer, D., Wall, M., Guo, J., Story, M., Haines, J., & Eisenberg, M. (2006). Obesity, disordered eating, and eating disorders in a longitudinal study of adolescents: how do dieters fare 5 years later? [Comparative Study Research Support, U.S. Gov’t, P.H.S.]. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 106(4), 559-568.