Is your overweight child teased or bullied about his body shape? If so, this can add to his weight problem by keeping him away from the gym and playground.

A recent study of 100 children, reported in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, found that those children who reported being teased or bullied because of their weight admitted to depression, anxiety, loneliness - and physical inactivity.

The authors of the study speculate that children who are victimized for being overweight may avoid areas and activities that are not closely supervised, such as physical education classes or after school sports.

Work to help your child by problem solving ways to exercise without the risk of being bullied. You might also approach the school to propose anti-bullying rules, enhanced supervision of after school sports, and training about issues surrounding bullying for those adults involved in athletics.