Table 1.
Characteristics Associated with Daily and Weekly Self-weighing
| Overall (n = 560) | Weighs less than weekly (n = 233) | Weighs weekly (n = 194) | Weighs daily (n = 133)* | p value** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||||
| Age in years, mean (SD) | 57 (17) | 54 (16) | 56 (18) | 63 (16) | < 0.01 |
| Women, n (%) | 386 (69) | 163 (70) | 133 (69) | 90 (68) | 0.94 |
| Married, n (%) | 339 (61) | 127 (55) | 120 (62) | 92 (69) | 0.02 |
| Race, n (%) | |||||
| White race | 441 (82) | 167 (75) | 156 (83) | 118 (91) | < 0.01 |
| Black race | 71 (13) | 43 (19) | 23 (12) | 5 (4) | |
| Hispanic | 10 (2) | 5 (2) | 4 (2) | 1 (1) | |
| Asian | 11 (2) | 7 (3) | 2 (1) | 2 (2) | |
| Other | 6 (1) | 1 (0.5) | 2 (1) | 3 (2) | |
| Education, n (%) | |||||
| High-school degree or less | 46 (8) | 30 (13) | 12 (6) | 4 (3) | 0.01 |
| Some college or 2-year degree | 123 (23) | 52 (23) | 41 (22) | 30 (23) | |
| College degree of more | 374 (69) | 142 (63) | 137 (72) | 95 (74) | |
| Employment, n (%) | |||||
| Disabled | 35 (6) | 24 (11) | 6 (3) | 5 (4) | < 0.01 |
| Unemployed | 21 (4) | 11 (5) | 6 (3) | 4 (3) | |
| Student or homemaker | 27 (5) | 15 (7) | 8 (4) | 4 (3) | |
| Employed (full or part-time) | 312 (57) | 128 (57) | 120 (63) | 64 (50) | |
| Retired | 148 (27) | 48 (21) | 49 (26) | 51 (40) | |
| Health status | |||||
| BMI in kg/m2 mean (SD) | 30 (9) | 31 (9) | 31 (8) | 29 (7) | 0.04 |
| BMI ≤ 18 | 6 (1) | 3 (1) | 1 (1) | 2 (2) | 0.27 |
| BMI 18.5–24.9 | 153 (30) | 63 (29) | 52 (29) | 38 (32) | |
| BMI 25.0–29.9 | 145 (28) | 59 (27) | 46 (25) | 40 (33) | |
| BMI 30.0–34.9 | 95 (18) | 32 (15) | 40 (22) | 23 (19) | |
| BMI 35.0–39.9 | 48 (9) | 25 (12) | 15 (8) | 8 (7) | |
| BMI ≥ 40.0 | 70 (14) | 34 (16) | 27 (15) | 9 (8) | |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 83 (15) | 32 (14) | 36 (19) | 15 (12) | 0.40 |
| Prediabetes, n (%) | 57 (11) | 24 (11) | 22 (12) | 11 (9) | 0.40 |
| Weight aspirations, n (%) | |||||
| Desiring weight gain | 13 (2) | 9 (4) | 2 (1) | 2 (2) | < 0.01 |
| Desiring weight maintenance | 118 (21) | 41 (18) | 41 (21) | 36 (27) | |
| Desiring weight loss | 371 (66) | 143 (61) | 138 (71) | 90 (68) | |
| Not trying to alter weight | 58 (10 | 40 (17) | 13 (7) | 5 (4) | |
| Other self-monitoring behavior, n (%) | |||||
| Tracks exercise | 291 (52) | 91 (39) | 121 (63) | 79 (60) | < 0.01 |
| Tracks food intake | 335 (60) | 107 (46) | 130 (67) | 98 (74) | < 0.01 |
*Includes the 2 participants who weigh more than once per day
**p value from bivariate analysis using chi-square or ANOVA as appropriate
BMI, body mass index