A new study suggests that obesity—or more particularly body image—may be an education issue as well as a health issue. Research from the University of Texas at Austin finds that obese girls are half as likely to go to college than their thinner female peers. Assistant Professor Robert Crosnoe, who conducted the study, says that, in comparison with boys, obese girls are more likely to suffer from a poor body image, which can have a detrimental effect on their educational goals. The study, which tracked 11,000 American adolescents, found that the link between obesity and lower college enrollment was more pronounced among non-white girls and those who attended schools where obesity is uncommon. “How students fit in with or stand out from their peers at school is of the utmost importance to their educational pathways,” Crosnoe said in an article from the Canadian Broadcasting Company.
A version of this news article first appeared in the Web Watch blog.