Careful, he might sit on you.

The New York Times reports on a recent article in Pediatrics, which suggests that obese and overweight children are more likely to be bullied compared to other children. This finding is consistent with what most people would expect. It is not, however, consistent with existing research. Although some studies have shown that fat kids are at increased risk for bullying, a lot of studies have failed to show any difference. What researchers typically find is that when heavy kids are teased, they are teased about their weight. The much more consistent finding regarding weight is that undersized children--particularly boys--are more likely to be the targets of bullying. If you look at the Pediatrics article in the context of the broader research literature, it starts to look like a Type 1 error--a fluke.