Teaching Overweight Students in Physical Education

Confrontation Overweight or obese students use confrontations as a mechanism to cope with obesity bias (Li et al., 2012). The types of confrontations used are dependent upon whether these students



are in a bad mood and whether teasing gets on their nerves. Sometimes, overweight or obese students let the teaser know that he or she has crossed the line and it hurts their feelings. Very often, the teaser will just back off. Sometimes, overweight or obese students use verbal confrontations by lashing out, “checking,” or teasing the teaser. Overweight or obese students might check the teaser by talking badly about his or her hair or clothing. Sometimes, overweight or obese students get into physical confrontations with the teaser. In other situations, overweight or obese students confront the teaser by challenging him or her in the physical activities or sports about which they are teased. Overweight or obese students try to prove the teaser wrong. For example, during a relay race, a thin student teased an overweight student, saying, “You cannot do it.” This overweight student proved this thin student wrong by racing and beating him (Li et al., 2012). Stress Reduction According to the Transactional Model (Lazarus  & Folkman, 1984), stress occurs when external pressures exceed a person’s ability to handle them. Stress is not a direct response to a stressful event. It is a result of one’s level of resources to cope with stressful events in his or her life. Stress can negatively impact students’ health outcomes. The ways that students cope with stress can reduce the negative impact of stress on their health outcomes. Overweight or obese students experience a lot of stress as a result of obesity bias or weight-related teasing. Thus, the strategies that overweight or obese students use to cope with stress are critical in alleviating its negative effects on their psychosocial, health, and emotional well-being.

Table 3.2 Coping Strategies with Social Support as a Mechanism 1. Create a network of friends who can be on your side and stand up for you when you are teased. 2. Talk to coaches/physical education teachers. 3. Talk to school principals, counselors, or others. 4. Talk to family members such as parents, grandparents, and siblings. 5. Talk to friends.