U. S. researchers have found that elementary school children who are obese have 63 percent higher odds of getting bullied than their thinner classmates.

17 percent of U. S. children ages 6-11 are obese, said lead author Dr. Julie C. Lumeng of the University of Michigan's C. S. Mott Children's Hospital and colleagues.

The study involved 821 children participating in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development.

The odds of a study participant being bullied as reported by the child, mother and teacher were calculated by the researchers.

Published online ahead of print in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics, the study found that obese children had higher odds of being bullied no matter their gender, race, family socioeconomic status, school demographic profile, social skills or academic achievement. (With Inputs from Agencies)