Very overweight teens face stigma, discrimination, isolation

Very overweight teens face a social world of stigma, discrimination, and isolation because of their body size, reveals an analysis of their views. And they have to overcome many other additional barriers to lose weight, making it especially hard for them to shed the pounds, the findings suggest. Some young people described coping strategies, such as seeking out support from others. But the experiences of being overweight included feeling excluded, ashamed, marked out as different, isolated, ridiculed and ritually humiliated. Everyday activities, such as shopping and socializing, were difficult.

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