Fat kids may have always known this was the case, but now a study as confirmed that physical education teachers have a strong bias against children who are obese.
Researchers at the University of Newcastle in Australia studied 240 PE trainees and non-trainees and found that there is a prevalence of "anti-fat" bias among its respondents. Physical Education (PE) teacher trainees are four times more likely to have negative perceptions about fat children, believing that they are less clever than others.
"What we found was [the trainees] almost expect obese children not to not be good, even in things that don't have anything to do with physical activity," said Marita Lynagh, a lecturer and one of the authors of the study, according to Sydney Morning Herald. "They actually expect the children to not be as good socially, or with things like reasoning skills, things that have nothing to do with weight."
The researchers also note that the teacher trainees will often not admit to the "anti-fat" bias, but at least 30 percent of the respondent saw obesity as "one of the worst things that could happen to a child."
"In their view it was pretty much worse than dying," Lynagh further stated.
In Australia, 23 percent of children between the ages of 5 to 14 are considered overweight or obese, according to The Educator. The situation is worse in the United States, with a third of children and adolescents regarded as overweight and obese, according to the CDC.
The study highlights how the rise in obesity has also increased "weight-related stigmatization," but the researchers said there are also some limitations to the study. "Our study was not able to determine if trainee teachers enter their training with pre-existing bias or if the training itself somehow fosters or accentuates weight prejudice," they wrote in the paper.
The study was published in the Journal of School Health.
