More than 60% of overweight children bullied

Bullying has emerged as a “very big issue” from a study of children attending a hospital-based obesity treatment programme, with 63% bullied about their weight.

The finding is based on an analysis of the initial assessment forms of 111 children attending the family-based W82GO service at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital in Dublin.

It found that 12% of the children who were bullied were missing days from school. Almost half of those teased were teased by their peers, although a small percentage (2%) were teased by strangers.