Research
Adherence
Women are significantly more likely than men to attempt weight loss, even at normal BMI levels, suggesting societal pressure toward thinness is a primary driver.
Women are more likely to try to lose weight than men, even if they are already at a healthy weight. This is likely due to societal pressure. Focus on health metrics rather than just weight if you are a normal-weight woman.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Women had a higher prevalence of trying to lose weight than did men within every sociodemographic and weight category... about 30% of normal weight women reported trying to lose weight.
Why this rating
Self-reported survey data, large sample size.
Source
Prevalence of Attempting Weight Loss and Strategies for Controlling Weight
Mary K. Serdula · JAMA · 1999
DOI 10.1001/jama.282.14.1353
cross_sectional · n=107804Cited 525×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →