RNQualitativeThe Journal of school health2025

Addressing Weight-Related Bullying in Schools: Youth Perspectives on School Policies and Interventions.

Ritika Kale, Erin N Harrop, Jaylyn R Kelly and 2 others

PMID 40879349

WHAT IT FOUND

71.6% of youth respondents had seen weight-related bullying.

They wanted education, consequences, and policies naming weight, but some said school weight checks and letters about weight could make things worse.

Key findings

0171.6% of respondents had witnessed weight-related bullying.

02The most common school strategies were education or programming (44.9%) and policies or consequences (30.8%).

0368.5% supported explicitly including weight-related bullying in anti-bullying policies, while 27.3% opposed it.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs

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What it does not show

The study did not collect participants' body size, weight perception, or internalized weight bias, so it cannot show how those experiences shaped the views. Youth-reported preferences may not match what actually works, because the study did not test the suggested policies or practices. It included only youth perspectives, not educators or other school staff. The wide age range may combine different school experiences.

The easy way to misread this

Do not read these youth perspectives as evidence that anti-bullying policies or stopping weight checks reduce bullying. The study asked opinions and did not test any intervention.

Read it on PubMed →