Teens Who Frequently Self-Weigh At Increased Risk Of Body Issues

Frequently self-weighing can mess with your mind, especially if you're a woman, according to a recent study.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that participants who reported increases in self-weighing throughout the 10-year study-period showed increases in depressive symptoms, weight concern and a decreased satisfaction of their body and self-esteem, in general.

"Females who strongly agreed they self-weighed reported engaging in extremely dangerous weight-control behaviors at a rate of 80 percent," Carly R. Pacanowski, lead author of the study, said in a statement. "Adolescent obesity is a public health concern, but body dissatisfaction and weight concerns are predictors of eating disorders. This makes it critical that obesity-prevention programs avoid exacerbating these predictors by understanding how behaviors such as self-weighing affect teens."

During the study, researchers collected data from about 2,000 young adults over 10 years. They also asked the participants how often they weighed themselves and other questions relating to body image and self-esteem. 

"Clinicians should ask adolescent patients about self-weighing at office visits to determine any benefits or negative outcomes," Pacanowski added. "Noting changes in this behavior over time can be helpful for investigating other, more concerning changes in well-being among young adults."

The study is published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

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