“Being Obese Almost As Costly As Not Going To College”: That’s HuffPo’s way to sum up a Swedish study that found out that being “obese” is as “costly” (i.e. less income) as missing out on 3 years of college level education. The researchers came up with an interesting hypothesis:
They hypothesized that the gap was due to obese teens not fully developing so-called “non-cognitive” skills, like confidence and self-motivation. The “bullying, lower self-esteem, and discrimination by peers and teachers” that these obese male teens experienced likely had a ripple effect through their future financial lives.
That’s not exactly what HuffPo’s click-bait headline says. Isn’t the problem more being bullied for your weight rather than your weight itself? Is HuffPo fat shaming, victim blaming, all of the above? Should I stop reading Huffington Post headlines during my break?
Thoughts?