© 1998 Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom
research-article |
Body mass index: a comparison between self-reported and measured height and weight
Anthony Hill, Director of Public Health
Julian Roberts, Health Targets Monitoring Officer
South Humber Health Authority Health Place, Wrawby Road, Brigg, North Lincolnshire DN20 8GS
Somerset Health Authority Wellsprings Road, Taunton, Somerset TA2 7PQ
Address correspondence to Dr A. Hill.
BACKGROUND: Body mass index is used to measure obesity in individuals and to monitor trends in population obesity. Some observers use self-reported height and weight to assess body mass index; others use measured parameters. This paper reports on a study to compare body mass index when calculated from self-reported and measured heights and weights.
METHODS: A randomized postal questionnaire survey and follow-up clinical measurement study were carried out in a geographically defined population in the rural South West of England; subjects were 6000 residents of Somerset health district aged 16–64 years selected from the Family Health Services Authority register.
RESULTS: The response rate for the postal questionnaire was 57.6 per cent. A total of 73.3 per cent of responders agreed to clinical measurements; 84 per cent of measured volunteers had over-reported their height and 74 per cent underreported their weight. The difference between body mass indices based on self-reported and measured values of height and weight is highly statistically significant for the whole population and for most age-sex and body mass groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported heights and weights are unreliable and if used for monitoring health targets should be treated with caution.
Keywords: self-reported, measured, BMI
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  A. Oliveira, E. Ramos, C. Lopes, and H. Barros Self-reporting weight and height: misclassification effect on the risk estimates for acute myocardial infarction Eur J Public Health, October 1, 2009; 19(5): 548 - 553. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 E. R. Chasens, S. M. Sereika, and L. E. Burke Daytime Sleepiness and Functional Outcomes in Older Adults With Diabetes The Diabetes Educator, May 1, 2009; 35(3): 455 - 464. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 V Dauphinot, H Wolff, F Naudin, R Gueguen, C Sermet, J-M Gaspoz, and M P Kossovsky New obesity body mass index threshold for self-reported data J Epidemiol Community Health, February 1, 2009; 63(2): 128 - 132. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Min Park, M. Kyung Lim, K. Won Jung, S. Ae Shin, K.-Y. Yoo, Y. Ho Yun, and B. Yul Huh Prediagnosis Smoking, Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Second Primary Cancer Risk in Male Cancer Survivors: National Health Insurance Corporation Study J. Clin. Oncol., October 20, 2007; 25(30): 4835 - 4843. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. Davey Smith, C. Steer, S. Leary, and A. Ness Is there an intrauterine influence on obesity? Evidence from parent child associations in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) Arch. Dis. Child., October 1, 2007; 92(10): 876 - 880. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. B Pierce and D. A Leon Age at menarche and adult BMI in the Aberdeen Children of the 1950s Cohort Study Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, October 1, 2005; 82(4): 733 - 739. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. W. Oh, Y. S. Yoon, and S.-A. Shin Effects of Excess Weight on Cancer Incidences Depending on Cancer Sites and Histologic Findings Among Men: Korea National Health Insurance Corporation Study J. Clin. Oncol., July 20, 2005; 23(21): 4742 - 4754. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 O. Basso, A. J Wilcox, C. R Weinberg, D. D Baird, and J. Olsen Height and risk of severe pre-eclampsia. A study within the Danish National Birth Cohort Int. J. Epidemiol., August 1, 2004; 33(4): 858 - 863. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Li, S. Jewell, and L. Grummer-Strawn Maternal obesity and breast-feeding practices Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, April 1, 2003; 77(4): 931 - 936. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. Bolton-Smith, M. Woodward, H. Tunstall-Pedoe, and C. Morrison Accuracy of the estimated prevalence of obesity from self reported height and weight in an adult Scottish population J Epidemiol Community Health, February 1, 2000; 54(2): 143 - 148. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|