In the wake of the obesity epidemic the US is currently facing, keeping an eye on one’s weight may be viewed as a positive health choice. But a new study looks at the other side of the coin and reveals that for adolescents and young adults – who are still forming their behaviors and beliefs around physical activity and food – self-weighing can have adverse psychological outcomes.

Share on Pinterest Teens who regularly weigh themselves – particularly females – are at risk of adverse psychological outcomes, according to the latest study.

The study, led by Carly R. Pacanowski, PhD, of the University of Minnesota, is published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one third of adults in the US are obese, totaling 78.6 million people. Among children and adolescents between the ages of 2-19, this figure totals around 12.7 million.

With so many health complications linked to being overweight or obese, this is a public health issue that health care professionals are trying to tackle. But what happens when weight-control behaviors cross the line and become unhealthy?

Pacanowski notes that some health professionals have suggested that self-weighing could be harmful because it makes a person think about their weight, rather than their overall picture of health.

“Adolescent obesity is a public health concern,” she adds, “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.”