THE EFFECTS OF OBESITY ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE - Research Paper Example

It is obvious that at school level, children are not as mentally mature as they get when they grow up. So they do not have any idea whether they are doing a good act by laughing at a comparatively fat fellow or not. They laugh at him/her, make fun, and call him/her by improper names because of which the confidence level of the targeted fellow goes down and he/she becomes unable to cope with the situation. This results in making the child self-conscious and less focused towards studies. Moreover, obese children feel low due to such situations because of which they participate neither in extra-curricular activities nor in classroom activities.

In extra-curricular activities, the participation of obese students is almost null as observed in most of the schools. The reason is again the bodies of such students, which do not let them, exert much energy on the field. Childhood obesity, along with its common biological consequences, is also affecting obese students on an emotional level for the worse. For example, the peers criticize overweight children most of the time. They remain behind in academic and non-academic competitions because they do not feel it easy to face fellows who make fun of them.

Studies show that in addition to socioeconomic status, obesity, poor nutrition and food insufficiency after a child’s school achievement. Specifically, students who experience food insufficiency may have lower math scores, social difficulties and psychological difficulties. Additionally severely obese children have been shown to have lower IQs, poorer school performance, and lower test scores than their classmates, even after control for behavioral and socioeconomic variables (Hollar, D.

, Messiah, S., Almom, M., &Agatson, A., 2009). They still have a tendency to act out during school sections, which sometimes makes it difficult for teachers and other students.Their performance in exams is also not up to the mark because of less interaction with peers and teachers. Major differences exist between the academic performances of obese and non-obese students at kindergarten level (Datar, Sturm, &Magnabosco, 2004, p. 58). During exams, other students interact with each other to discuss important topics, which not only results in strengthening their concepts but also makes them prepared for the upcoming exams.

On the other hand, obese children usually cannot do so because they feel safe and good in staying isolated rather than joining the group of friends for studies who make fun of them.