title: Self-Weighing Throughout Adolescence and Young Adulthood: Implications for Well-Being.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the prevalence of self-weighing in the transition period from adolescence to young adulthood and examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between self-weighing and weight status, psychological, and behavioral outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Project Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults, a longitudinal cohort study that assessed variables 3 times over 10 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1,868 adolescents and young adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Weight, body mass index, weight disparity, body satisfaction, weight concern, self-esteem, depression, and unhealthy weight control behaviors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional and longitudinal.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant positive correlations were found at each time point between self-weighing and weight concern for both genders. Self-weighing was significantly inversely related to self-esteem at each time point in female participants. Increases in endorsement of self-weighing were significantly related to decreases in body satisfaction and self-esteem and increases in weight concern and depression in female participants and to increases in weight concern in male participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that self-weighing may not be an innocuous behavior for young people, particularly women. Interventions should assess potential harmful consequences of self-weighing in addition to any potential benefits. It may be appropriate for clinicians to ask about self-weighing, and if it is frequent, to explore motivations, perceived benefits, and potential adverse correlates or consequences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Electronic address: cpacanow@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Carly R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Pacanowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Katie A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Loth
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Hannan
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Linde
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Dianne R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Neumark-Sztainer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: adolescent; psychological; self-esteem; self-weighing; weight; well-being