Having a Fat Day? No College For You!

A UT study says that obese girls are only half as likely to go to college as young women who are not obese, reports the Chronicle. The study, which also tracked boys (in whom no correlation between educational choices and weight was found), studied over ten thousand kids over the course of several years. Statistics were adjusted for other factors known to affect college attendance in previous studies, such as income level and ethnicity.

Obese girls at high schools where obesity is uncommon are even less likely to go to college than other obese girls, says the study, and are also more likely to consider suicide, take drugs, and skip school. Though other populations have obviously been identified as at-risk before, experts in the field are hailing this study as groundbreaking work in identifying an overlooked population of students at risk of ending their education prematurely. The general cause is thought to be low self-esteem and self-image issues.

The study, however, also proposed solutions to what we're really, really, REALLY struggling not to call a growing problem. Obese girls were more likely to do well if they join a school club or activity, have close relationships with mentors and family, and have close friends. So, pretty much just like everyone else?

Don't get us wrong: high school is no bed of roses for anyone, and we're quite painfully aware that being self-conscious about physical appearance makes it way worse. We'd be interested to see some data comparing public and private school populations, however, or even have details on how the study adjusted for things like income. Do girls really not go to college because they're having a fat day? What do you think, readers?