Comparison of measured and self-reported anthropometric information among firefighters: implications and applications

Abstract

This study evaluated the accuracy of self-reported body weight and height compared to measured values among firefighters and identified factors associated with reporting error. A total of 863 male and 88 female firefighters in four US regions participated in the study. The results showed that both men and women underestimated their body weight (−0.4 ± 4.1, −1.1 ± 3.6 kg) and overestimated their height (29 ± 18, 17 ± 16 mm). Women underestimated more than men on weight (p = 0.022) and men overestimated more than women on height (p < 0.001). Reporting errors on weight were increased with overweight status (p < 0.001) and were disproportionate among subgroups. About 27% men and 24% women had reporting errors on weight greater than ± 2.2 kg, and 59% men and 28% women had reporting errors on height greater than 25 mm.

A Comprehensive Methodological Framework for Anthropometric Head Shape Modeling Using Small Dataset

“…In addition, it was observed that overall, our dataset was larger than the CAESAR dataset, which comprises American and European civilian populations. This agrees with previous research 43,44,68 that anthropometric characteristics of physically demanding occupations such as firefighters and law enforcement officers differ from general population characteristics. Firefighters are generally heavier when compared to the general population, with their weight at least 8 ∼ 10 kg higher than US civilians 43 .…”

“…Furthermore, anthropometric shape models are required to develop head-mounted products that properly fit the head anatomical details, especially for first responders such as firefighters, law enforcement officers, and army personnel. Particularly, firefighters are heavier than the general population due to the demands of their job 43,44 , which require wearing heavier protective equipment and the ability to carry/drag people out of danger zones. A product developed using a civilian dataset may not be effective for occupation-specific populations, such as firefighters, law enforcement officers, and soldiers, who require unique anthropometric characteristics to meet their job-specific physical demands 45 .…”

A comparison of measured versus self-reported anthropometrics for assessing obesity in adults: a literature review

“…A total of 38 studies had data on men (Supplementary Table I). Height was overestimated in the majority of the studies, with mean differences ranging from 0.3 cm to 2.9 cm [22,70], while SDs of the mean differences ranged from 1.1 cm to 7.2 cm [17,34]. Two studies, however, found no differences between self-reported and measured height [17,54], while in the Canadian Health Measures Survey conducted between 2007 and 2009, men underestimated their height by a mean of 1.2 cm [50].…”

Self-Reported vs. Measured Height, Weight, and BMI in Young Adults

“…At this time, most surveys are still paper based but online versions are also valid options which will likely become more prominent in the future [ 15 ]. Regardless of survey medium, both men and women are overwhelmingly seen overestimating their height and underestimating their weight [ 12 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. This underestimation of weight is more pronounced in women [ 17 , 21 ] and in overweight individuals regardless of gender [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 22 ].…”