Obese girls are half as likely to attend college as non-obese girls, according to a new study from the University of Texas at Austin.

On average, about a quarter of obese girls enroll; about one-third of non-obese girls do.

Obese boys did not differ from their non-obese peers in college enrollment.

The study said obese girls are even less likely to enter college if they attend a high school where obesity is relatively uncommon.

The study tracked nearly 11,000 teens.

Author Robert Crosnoe said the study also found obese girls were more likely to consider committing suicide, use alcohol and marijuana and have negative self-images.

"That girls are far more vulnerable to the non-health risks of obesity reinforces the notion that body image is more important to girls' self-concept and that social norms have greater effects on the education of girls than boys," Crosnoe said.

The findings appear in the July issue of the journal Sociology of Education.