Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jul-Aug;29(4):368-375.
doi: 10.1080/10640266.2019.1656467. Epub 2019 Nov 1.

Self-weighing behavior in individuals with binge-eating disorder

Carly R Pacanowski  1   2   3 , Ross D Crosby  1   2   3 , Carlos M Grilo  1   2   3
Affiliations

Self-weighing behavior in individuals with binge-eating disorder

Carly R Pacanowski et al. Eat Disord. 2021 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

This study examined self-weighing behaviors and correlates in patients with BED. Hypotheses: (1) women would weigh more frequently than men, (2) > weekly weighers would have higher restraint scores than < weekly weighers, (3) the self-weighing-restraint relationship would be stronger in women, (4) self-weighing frequency would be inversely related to BMI, and (5) self-weighing frequency and depression would be independently but not interactively related to BMI. The EDE, administered by trained doctoral-level interviewers, assessed self-weighing and eating-disorder psychopathology in 423 treatment-seeking individuals meeting DSM-5 BED criteria. Self-weighing frequency (1) did not differ by gender (Wald = 1.3; p = .3). (2) > weekly weighers reported significantly higher restraint (2.0±1.2 versus 1.6±1.3; t(421) = 3.1, p = .02). (3) No significant gender*self-weighing interaction on restraint (p = .99). (4) Self-weighing is inversely correlated with BMI (rho = -0.20; p < .001). 5) Self-weighing nor depression, nor self-weighing*depression interaction predicted BMI (p = .51). These analyses lay the groundwork for further investigation of the role of self-weighing in BED treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Carly R. Pacanowski and Carlos M. Grilo declare no relevant conflicts of interest; Ross D. Crosby is a Statistical Consultant for Health Outcomes Solutions, Winter Park, Florida.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Self-weighing frequency by Body Mass Index
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Beck AT, Ward CH, Mendelson M, Mock J, & Erbaugh J (1961). An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 4, 561–571. - PubMed
    1. Berg KC, Peterson CB, Frazier P, & Crow SJ (2012). Psychometric Evaluation of the Eating Disorder Examination and Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire: A Systematic Review of the Literature. The International Journal of Eating Disorders, 45(3), 428–438. 10.1002/eat.20931 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cooper Z, & Fairburn C (1987). The eating disorder examination: A semi-structured interview for the assessment of the specific psychopathology of eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 6(1), 1–8. 10.1002/1098-108X(198701)6:1<1::AID-EAT2260060102>3.0.CO;2-9 - DOI
    1. First M (n.d.). Structured clinical interview for the DSM-IV axis I disorders : SCID-I/P, version 2.0. New York: Biometrics Research Dept., New York State Psychiatric Institute.
    1. Gavin KL, Linde JA, Pacanowski CR, French SA, Jeffery RW, & Ho Y-Y (2015). Weighing frequency among working adults: Cross-sectional analysis of two community samples. Preventive Medicine Reports, 2, 44–46. 10.1016/j.pmedr.2014.12.005 - DOI - PMC - PubMed