Heightened Weighing Discomfort Among Women May Increase Their Health Risks

A new study points to increased health risks for women owing to their higher level of discomfort about being weighed in public. Some women may avoid necessary tests and treatments when a doctor visit includes a step on a public scale. 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.