Physical Wellness

Don't Check Your Weight Too Often! Avoid Depression and Enhance Your Self-Esteem By Putting Away The Weighing Machine.

By Bisma Kaleem | Update Date: Nov 11, 2015 12:35 PM EST

Is your teen daughter stepping on the weighing machine too often than they should? Are they constantly involved in checking their weights and spend the day standing on the weighing scale? Then there are heightened chances that your teen suffers from low self-esteem as according to the recent study, examining one’s weight too often results in depression and is a developing sign of anxiety and stress.

Researchers analyzed the self-weighing behaviors of more than 1,900 adults as part of EAT (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults). The results displayed a strong connection between high levels of depression and frequent weight checking.

As per NDTV, "Females who strongly agreed they self-weighed reported engaging in extremely dangerous weight-control behaviors at a rate of 80 per cent," said lead author Carly R Pacanowski, from the University of Minnesota in US.

 "Adolescent obesity is a public health concern, but body dissatisfaction and weight concerns are predictors of eating disorders," said Ms Pacanowski.

The researchers established that as teens tend to enhance the frequency of their weight inspection, they are more likely to be entangled in the web of depression as endless checks imply the presence of low self-esteem and eventually less body satisfaction.

This is undoubtedly not an optimistic sign as teens are concerned about their body weight and structure. One of the reasons for their emerging depression has been linked to their weight checking behavior, which exhibits that they are entwined within the sphere of low self-esteem, inferiority complex and eventually less contentment.

As part of the preventive strategies, Carly Pacanowski, PhD, RD, lead authority of the study maintains that teenage girls should avoid weighing themselves, unnecessarily. Parents and guardians should also intervene and make sure that their girls are emotionally stable and robust through constant monitoring and examination. It is essential to divert their minds from depression as such behavior can stamp negativity in young minds, damaging their personalities.

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