How does childhood obesity affect school achievement? Contributions from a qualitative analysis implemented in Mexico City

In order to better understand the negative causal relationships between childhood obesity and school achievement, we implement a qualitative analysis based on 29 adolescents interviewed in Mexico City. Our findings suggest the following. First, childhood obesity affects schooling outcomes through two interdependent channels: social stigmatization and loss of productivity. Second, three main mechanisms seem to be involved in the relationship. While the loss of productivity alone represents one of such mechanism, the social stigmatization of obesity passes through two mechanisms: (i) a direct social mechanism, including material aggressions and exclusion by peers, and (ii) an indirect social mechanism, referring to psycho-sociological troubles that stigmatized people express. Third, the risk of weight discrimination depends on different individual factors: age, gender, fat distribution and body-mass category.