Scale & Mirror: How does actual and perceived weight status in adolescence affect academic succes in upper secondary education?

Adolescents with high weight often experience social and mental challenges, both as a result their weight and due to stigma from others or their own perceptions. However, the feeling of not having the "right" weight, can affect all young people - regardless of whether they have low, normal, or heigh weight. Weight stigma and the perception of not having the "right" size can potentially harm social relationships, school connectedness, and psychological well-being, which in turn may affect academic performance and increase the risk of dropout.

The Scale & Mirror project therefore investigates how actual and perceived weight during adolescence prospectively influences school outcomes, including grades and dropout, among approximately 75,000 upper secondary and vocational school students. Completing upper secondary education is crucial for later socioeconomic status, income, and health, making it important to understand which factors influence young people's opportunities for completing their education. 

Perception of being "about right size" and high body satisfaction by BMI in adolescents
In this study we found that among females, the perception of being "about right size" and experiencing high body satisfaction was most prevalent at BMIs well below the median, whereas for males, these perceptions were most common around the median. These findings strongly confirm that gender-specific body ideals are highly internalized, placing adolescents at risk of developing a negative body image.