A Multilevel Assessment of School Climate, Bullying Victimization, and Physical Activity

BACKGROUND This study integrated criminological and public health perspectives to examine the influence of bullying victimization and the school environment on physical activity (PA). METHODS We used a weighted sample of 7786 US middle school students surveyed as part of the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study to conduct a multilevel analysis of bullying victimization as a predictor of self-reported PA and number of days attending physical education (PE) classes. Hierarchical models assessed the contribution of school climate and anti-crime programs. RESULTS Results indicated that bullying victimization was associated with fewer days in PE and lower odds of reporting at least 60minutes of PA more than once a week. Although one of the school crime prevention policies examined was associated with more days in PE, the school-level factors did not account for a large portion of the variance in the 2-level models for either days in PE or PA. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that reduced levels of PA can be added to the growing list of health issues associated with bullying victimization and provide support for the importance of bullying prevention efforts in conjunction with health promotion programs targeted to middle school students.