Frequency and type of adolescent victimization: What role is played by the body mass index?
Chiara Verzeletti, Massimo Santinello, Alessio Vieno
Adolescent obesity is associated with many negative psychological and relational consequences,
for example, peer victimization. The association between the level of obesity and the frequency and
type of victimization suffered is still unclear. This article aims to examine this association. The data
presented here form part of a larger international survey named «Health Behaviour in School Aged
Children» (HBSC), promoted by the European Offi ce of the World Health Organization. The survey
uses a self-report questionnaire to investigate the principal forms of behaviour associated with
the health of adolescents. The representative sample of the Italian reference population comprised
2.667 adolescents (50,1% males) and the average age was 14,83 years. The results showed a
signifi cant relationship between the level of obesity and the frequency of victimization suffered, obese
adolescents had a greater risk of being victimised compared to normal-weight adolescents. This
association also remains signifi cant when controlling the effect of gender and age.
Keywords
Adolescence, peer victimization, bullying, BMI, obesity.
