Wednesday 10 March
An increasing number of robust studies show that overweight and obese children have poorer school performance than their healthy weight peers, even after allowing for gender, race and school level. However, these studies should not be interpreted as indicating an intellectual difference, but more likely a different educational experience. What seems key to worsening these attainment deficits is the extent of weight-based teasing that heavy children experience. Recent US studies have emphasised that teasing about weight is not only commonplace, but that it interfered with concentration abilities, both in class and at home. Heavy children also skip school to avoid what authors describe as 'victimization' and 'harassment'; neither can they always rely on home life to provide respite.
Collectively, that means schools can help heavy children much more than they do right now. Indeed, preliminary intervention data now suggest that adapted programmes not only enhance health, but also improve academic attainment. With current concerns for equal access and opportunity, it is problematic that so many heavy children report a distinctive and decidedly unpleasant time at school. Perhaps the only real surprise in all this is that we might prefer to believe that doing things normally would not impact school performance.
Claire Griffiths and Professor Jim McKenna
Active Lifestyles Research Centre
Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education