Obesity and the school experience : a qualitative study of the lived experience of adolescents with obesity

Abstract

This study explores the lived experiences of adolescents with obesity with a special interest being on their experiences at school. Most of the research on adolescent obesity focused on quantitative approaches. Consequently information about their lived experiences has been very limited. This research, by using an interpretative phenomenological approach, aims to address this lacuna by giving the opportunity to the obese adolescents to share their lived experiences. Semi- structured interviews were used to interview six adolescents aged between eleven and sixteen years and with a Body Mass Index that classified them as obese. Analysis of the emergent themes demonstrates how the adolescents described their body as ‘undesirable’ and which contributed to no clear self identity, mainly due to their negative self-perception, concerns, self-criticism and vulnerability. Participants also described their challenging situations at school. Findings were interpreted using the attribution theory and a social constructivist perspective. This research also provided valuable recommendations of strategies and initiatives that participants think that schools can introduce to become more inclusive and supportive for students with obesity.