Perceptions of a Child Who was Overweight or of Average Weight by African American Children
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Perceptions of a Child Who was Overweight or of Average Weight by African American Children L. Nabors1 • A. Merianos1 • B. Olsen2
Published online: 19 May 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015
Abstract The current study examined African American children’s perceptions of a peer who was overweight or average weight and was called a name. Participants were 107 African American children who viewed same gender line-drawings of an overweight and average weight peer and selected one line drawing as being the child who was called ‘‘stupid’’ in a vignette. Next, participants rated their perceptions of (popularity, friendliness, etc.) for both linedrawings. The line-drawing of an overweight peer was selected as being called a name more often than the average weight one and this child was viewed as less popular. Girls provided higher sympathy and acceptance ratings of the child selected as a victim than boys. Findings provided support for the notion that children are aware that overweight children may be marginalized. Girls may be more accepting because they are more empathic or more likely to support a peer who is teased or called names. Further research will be needed to ascertain factors related to negative perceptions of overweight children to inform intervention efforts. Speaking with children about accepting others and conducting activities to improve acceptance are important roles for social workers and implications for social work practice are reviewed.
Keywords
Overweight Children Acceptance
& L. Nabors [email protected] 1
Health Promotion and Education Program, School of Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
2
Division of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Stigma toward individuals who are obese is a public health problem (Puhl and Latner 2007). A staggering number of children in the United States are overweight, and therefore research has focused on psychosocial issues surrounding obesity (Cunningham et al. 2014). More attention is needed on psychosocial factors and stigma related to pediatric obesity. This study seeks to determine if there are modifiable psychosocial factors (i.e., peer factors) that can be targeted in social work efforts. Peer interactions have a key influence on a child’s psychosocial development (Hay et al. 2004). Children who have positive peer relationships tend to report lower levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors (Klima and Repetti 2008). Alternatively, problematic peer relationships, including teasing and bullying, increase children’s risk of developing psychological and social difficulties. Stigma research argues that individuals who are shamed or degraded by society often internalize their negative experiences and begin to shame or degrade themselves (Boivin and Hymel 1997; Goffman 1986). Thus, assessment of children’s perceptions of their overweight peers is important, because there is a risk that children with the physical difference may absorb the negative perce
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