HHS HealthBeat (December 22, 2008)

Self-weighing

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Stepping on the scale makes many people anxious, and that can include teens. But a study says some overweight teens may benefit from weighing themselves once a week or more.  

Dr. Mary Alm at the University of Minnesota:

[Dr. Mary Alm speaks] “When overweight teens weighed themselves once a week or more frequently, they engaged in more healthy weight control behaviors. Specifically, they ate less calories overall. They ate less high fat foods, and they also ate less junk food.’’

Dr. Alm says they also were more likely to get strenuous exercise. The study could not determine whether frequent weighing caused weight loss behaviors or was a part of an overall weight loss strategy.

The study in the Journal of Adolescent Health was supported in part by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: December, 24 2008