Elite and collegiate athletes are subpopulations at increased risk for the development of disordered eating and pathogenic weight management strategies; such risks may extend beyond sport participation into sport retirement. As athletes self-weigh, whether during their time in competitive sport or in retirement, it would be expected that they also experience increases in body dissatisfaction and psychosocial distress. Results suggest both a longitudinal impact, as well as continued cross-sectional relationships between SW and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, former SW (at Time 1) is related to their levels of body satisfaction in relation to the Body factor and the Overall Body at Time 2. Particularly, athletes who weighed themselves 7+ more times a week reported significantly higher levels of body dissatisfaction on the Overall Body factor and the Body factor than retired athletes who did not self-weigh, all other groups did not differ significantly from each other. Cross-sectional relations were found between current (Time 2) SW and Body Satisfaction (Overall Body, and Body factors), Dietary Restraint, and Bulimic Symptomatology. In all cases, those who engaged in SW 7+ times per week had significantly higher scores than all other groups.

Collegiate and elite female athletes have been identified as a subpopulation at heightened risk for disordered eating and pathogenic weight management practices. It was hypothesized that this increases risk may be related to sport specific pressures (such as team conducted weigh-ins), or the use and frequency of self-weighing. It appears that mandatory, team conducted weigh-ins are not salient to female athletes in regards to experiencing internalization, body image concerns, dietary restraint, negative affect, and bulimic symptomatology. Results, however, indicate that frequency of engagement in self-weighing may be influential in the engagement of disordered eating symptoms. Specifically, athletes who weighed themselves three or more times per week reported significantly more internalization of general societal ideals and athletic body ideals. For body image concerns, athletes who weighed three or more times per week reported being more concerned with their body size/shape than all others. With respect to dietary behaviors, athletes who weighed themselves three or more times per week reported engaging in significantly more caloric restriction than did those who weighed less frequently. For negative affect, the athletes who weighed themselves three or more times per week reported significantly higher levels of both anger and guilt. Finally for bulimic symptomatology, athletes who weighed themselves three or more times a week had significantly higher levels than those who weighed once or twice or not at all.