Excessive weight and academic performance among Chinese children and adolescents: Assessing the mediating effects of bullying victimization and self-rated health and life satisfaction

Using a nationally representative survey of urban areas from China, the present study examines the association between excessive weight and academic performance, with a specific focus on the potential mediating effects of bullying victimization and self-rated health and life satisfaction. Our findings indicate that overweight and obese girls are more likely to report poorer academic performance than their normal weight counterparts. However, these detrimental effects are fully explained by their overweight perceptions. In addition, obese girls are more likely to report cyberbullying victimization, contributing to lower life satisfaction and poorer academic performance. Surprisingly, girls who perceive themselves as slightly underweight are also more likely to report poorer academic performance. Finally, neither weight nor weight perceptions are linked to poorer academic performance among boys. Given the implications of academic performance on future employment and health outcomes, our study highlights the importance of documenting factors contributing to children’s and adolescents’ poorer academic performance.