title: Traditional and cyberbullying victimization as correlates of psychosocial distress and barriers to a healthy lifestyle among severely obese adolescents--a matched case-control study on prevalence and results from a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obese youth are at increased risk for peer victimization, which may heighten their risk of psychosocial problems and physical activity avoidance, and lower the effectiveness of professional and lifestyle weight-loss initiatives. Little is known about obese adolescents' risk for victimization from cyber-bullying and how this relates to psychosocial functioning and healthy lifestyle barriers. The purpose of the study was to assess traditional and cyber-victimization among adolescents with severe obesity and its relation to psychosocial distress and barriers to healthy lifestyles.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 102 obese adolescents (mean age=15.32±1.71) in residential treatment was matched with 102 normal-weight youngsters from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) study (mean age=15.30±1.73).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adolescents with obesity were significantly more often cyber-victimized than normal-weight peers. Obese youth victimized by traditional bullying experienced lower quality of life, lower motivation for physical activity and higher avoidance and emotional coping towards healthy lifestyles than those non-victimized. Obese cyber-victims experienced significantly higher suicidal ideation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Traditional and cyber-victimization may hinder treatment effectiveness and healthy lifestyle change in adolescents with obesity. Health professionals should pro-actively address peer victimization and psychosocial functioning during multidisciplinary obesity treatment. Schools could contribute to a better physical and psychosocial health of obese youth by implementing multi-behavioral health-promotion programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. ann.desmet@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: DeSmet
authors.forename: Benedicte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Deforche
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hublet
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanghe
authors.forename: Evi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stremersch
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Bourdeaudhuij
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001530:Belgium; D058445:Bullying; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life