Self-weighing Frequency and Its Relationship with Health Measures

Objectives: In this study, we investigated self-weighing frequency (SWF) among adults and whether SWF was associated with health markers. Methods: We had 533 US adults complete a questionnaire on SWF and other health markers. Respondents were categorized into 4 quartiles of SWF: “Never,”“<1x/week,”“1x/week,” or “>1x/week.” Results: Overall, 60.0% of adults weighed <1x/week and 25% never weighed. More frequent self-weighing was associated with less sedentary time, more vigorous physical activity (PA) and several healthier practices including reading nutrition labels, eating whole grains, drinking less soda, self-monitoring of food, PA and weight change, and consuming lower- or no-calorie beverages and sweeteners. Conversely, there was no difference in BMI, age, stress, education, sleep, screen time, or chronic diseases between SWF quartiles. Conclusion: Whereas SWF was associated with some markers of health including vigorous PA and some healthier dietary habits, SWF was not linked to BMI, stress, sleep, or chronic diseases.