Verbal harassment, such as bullying and hate speech, has received considerable attention
recently, but less is known about weight-based teasing and its potential harmful effects
on young people's psychosocial well-being.
To determine the associations of weight-based teasing and body satisfaction, self-esteem,
depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation and suicide attempts using a large sample
of adolescents.
Secondary analysis of survey and anthropometric data.
Ethnically and socioeconomically diverse communities in the urban and suburban school
districts of the Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area.
A school-based sample of 4746 adolescents in grades 7 to 12 at 31 public middle schools
and high schools.
Weight-based teasing from peers or family members, body satisfaction, self-esteem,
depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.
Of the eligible students, 81.5% participated; 30.0% of adolescent girls and 24.7%
of adolescent boys were teased by peers, and 28.7% of adolescent girls and 16.1% of
adolescent boys were teased by family members. Approximately 14.6% of adolescent girls
and 9.6% of adolescent boys reported teasing from both of these sources. Teasing about
body weight was consistently associated with low body satisfaction, low self-esteem,
high depressive symptoms, and thinking about and attempting suicide, even after controlling
for actual body weight. These associations held for adolescent boys and girls, across
racial, ethnic, and weight groups. Furthermore, teasing from 2 sources was associated
with a higher prevalence of emotional health problems than either teasing from a single
source or no teasing.
Physicians and other health care providers should recognize the importance of weight-based
teasing for young patients. Policy, programs, and education should focus on increasing
awareness of what constitutes weight-based teasing, its potentially harmful effects
on adolescents' emotional well-being, and reduction of this behavior.