Heightened weighing discomfort among women may increase their health risks, Penn study indicates

PHILADELPHIA -– A new study from the University of Pennsylvania points to increased health risks for women owing to their higher level of discomfort about being weighed in public.

The study showed that college-age females, more than their male counterparts, experience high degrees of discomfort at the prospect of being weighed in the presence of others.

The study’s authors believe that some women may avoid necessary tests and treatments when a doctor visit includes a step on a public scale.

“Weighing concern may make these women, particularly those who are overweight and already at risk for certain ailments, less likely to visit a doctor,” said Andrew B. Geier, lead author and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology in the Penn School of Arts and Sciences. “Hopefully, this data will show the great advantage that can be had with just a small, inexpensive change in clinic policy: weighing patients in private.”

The study also revealed that observers generally overestimate women’s weight while women tend to believe that people are underestimating their weight due to slimming clothes or cosmetics. This means that, while women in the study demonstrated they do not want people to know their weight, their true weight was lower than others’ estimates and a public weighing would correct the misperception.

Due to the increasing cost of health care, medical clinics, especially those serving poorer communities, constantly look for ways to cut costs. One common practice is to designate public space in the clinic-, often a well-trafficked hallway, , to be suitable for weighings. Routine clinic practice has reduced the number of scales as well. In light of this new research, it is possible, in fact the authors believe likely, that women may skip free, potentially life-saving tests, such as mammograms, rather than face the embarrassment of public weighing.