Are Weigh-ins Pedagogically Justified in Postsecondary Physical Education and Health?

This study focuses on the pedagogical dilemma surrounding the use of anthropometric measurements in postsecondary Physical Education and Health (PEH) courses. On one hand, the rise in obesity, an indicator of chronic disease risk, justifies the teaching of these concepts. On the other hand, addressing the issue of weight may pose a risk to the mental health of some students. Three groups were compared- those who weighed themselves in class (36), those who did so at home (41), and those who chose not to weigh themselves (65). A content analysis was used to examine the reasons behind these choices, while a repeated-measures covariance analysis (ANCOVA) compared learning about body composition, taking into account the motivation to take care of one’s health. Students who chose to weigh themselves demonstrated a better understanding of body composition than those who refused. However, the latter expressed more negative reactions toward the weighing process. Therefore, offering students the choice to participate or not appears to be the most pedagogically appropriate approach.