How valid are self‐reported height and weight? A comparison between CATI self‐report and clinic measurements using a large cohort study

Taylor, Anne; Grande, Eleonora Dal; Gill, Tiffany K.; Chittleborough, Catherine R.; Wilson, David H.; Adams, Robert; Grant, Janet; Phillips, Patrick J.; Appleton, Sarah; Ruffin, Richard E.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-842x.2006.tb00864.x

Cited by 163 publications

(158 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The main reason for this was that many participants aged 55 years and older particularly overestimated their body height. The same findings were reported in a large Australian cohort study (12) in which elderly persons (65 years and older) considerably overestimated their height. One possible reason why elderly people tend to overestimate their height could be that their height has actually changed due to osteoporosis and kyphosis, and these people report the height they had when they were younger.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Validity of self-reported weight and height in Austrian adults: sociodemographic determinants and consequences for the classification of BMI categories

Großschädl

Haditsch²,

Stronegger

2011

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: Epidemiological studies have shown that adults tend to underestimate their weight and overestimate their height. This may lead to a misclassification of their BMI in studies based on self-reported data. The aim of the present study was to assess the validity of self-reported weight and height in Austrian adults. Design: Data on weight, height, health behaviour and sociodemographic characteristics of adults were collected in a standardized procedure via a self-filling questionnaire and a medical examination including measurements of weight and height. Setting: A publicly accessible out-patient clinic in southern Austria. Subjects: Austrian residents (n 473) aged 18 years and older who attended a health check participated in the study. Results: The mean difference between reported and measured BMI was not significant in younger adults (,35 years: mean difference 20?21 kg/m 2 ; P , 0?08) but increased significantly with age ($55 years: mean difference 20?68 kg/m 2 ; P , 0?001). The prevalence of normal weight (BMI 5 18?5-24?9 kg/m 2 ) and overweight (BMI 5 25?0-29?9 kg/m 2 ) was overestimated based on the selfreported data on BMI, while that for underweight (BMI , 18?5 kg/m 2 ) and obesity (BMI $ 30?0 kg/m 2 ) was underestimated (P , 0?001). The self-reported data showed an obesity prevalence of 12?5 %, while measurement showed a prevalence of 15?4 % (P , 0?001). Conclusions: Our results indicate that prevalence rates of obesity are probably underestimated for Austrian adults when using self-reported weight and height information. The deviations from the measured data clearly increased with age. Analyses based on self-reported data should therefore be adjusted for the age dependency of the validity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Validity of self-reported weight and height in Austrian adults: sociodemographic determinants and consequences for the classification of BMI categories

Großschädl

Haditsch²,

Stronegger

2011

Public Health Nutr.

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“…The disadvantages are the self reports of height, weight and mental ill-health conditions. But, the underweight are most likely to over-report their weight [41] leading to them being misclassified upward (eg. [42]) and so reducing the possibility of our finding a relationship when there is one.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental ill-health across the continuum of body mass index

et al. 2011

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BackgroundSeveral studies have found a non-linear relationship between mental ill-health and BMI with higher rates in both the underweight and the obese. This study evaluated the shape of the relationship between BMI and distress, suicidal ideation and self-reported mental ill-health conditions in a large population sample.MethodsData were drawn from the South Australian Monitoring and Surveillance System (SAMSS) for the years 2002 to 2009 (n = 46,704). SAMSS monitors population trends in state and national risk factors and chronic diseases. Samples are drawn from all households with a functioning number in the Australian White Pages. Computer assisted telephone interviews collected information on self-reported height and weight, demographic and health behaviours. Respondents completed the Kessler Distress and suicidal ideation scales and reported specific mental ill-health conditions. BMI was categorized into deciles to allow for assessment of the shape of any associations with other variables. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between each mental ill-health condition and BMI-decile controlling for age in the base model. This was followed by a full model that added SES and the health-adverse coping behaviours of smoking, alcohol and physical activity to test for changes from the base model.ResultsNon-linear associations were observed between BMI-decile and mental ill-health but statistically significantly greater odds of mental ill-health were observed only in the obese and not in the underweight after controlling for age, health-adverse behaviours and socioeconomic status. The association between BMI and mental ill-health might best be described as 'threshold'. Elevated odds were apparent for middle-aged persons, whereas younger and older individuals had a significantly lower odds of having a mental ill-health condition.ConclusionsIn conclusion, this study has provided no support for the hypothesis of increased mental ill-health problems in the underweight but it has demonstrated the non-linear relationships between BMI and mental ill-health and between BMI and health-adverse behaviours. Non-linear relationships with BMI need to be recognized and addressed during analysis.

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“…64 Women with higher BMI are more likely to underestimate weight, whereas underweight women are more likely to overestimate body weight. [64][65][66][67] This could lead to nondifferential misclassification and attenuation of the true association between obesity and melanoma if there is one. We also cannot exclude the possibility of differential misclassification, i.e., that under-reporting of weight may occur unequally between cases and controls.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropometric factors and risk of melanoma in women: A pooled analysis

Olsen

Green

Zens

et al. 2007

Intl Journal of Cancer

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Anthropometric factors such as height, weight and body mass index are related to the occurrence of certain malignancies in women including cancers of the breast, ovary and endometrium. Several studies have investigated the relation between height and weight or body mass and the risk of cutaneous melanoma in women, but results have been inconsistent. We conducted a collaborative analysis of these factors using the original data from 8 case-control studies of melanoma in women (2,083 cases and 2,782 controls), with assessment of the potential confounding effects of socioeconomic, pigmentary and sun exposure-related factors. Women in the highest quartile of height had an increased risk of melanoma [pooled odds ratio (pOR) 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-1.6]. We also found an elevated risk associated with weight gain in adult life of 2 kg or more (pOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.0). Stratifying by age at melanoma diagnosis (<50, ‡50 yr), we found this risk greater among women <50 yr of age. Associations were unaffected by adjustment for other known risk factors for melanoma. There was no evidence that the effects varied for different histologic subtypes of cutaneous melanoma. There was no association with body weight per se, body mass index, or body surface area, either recent or in young adulthood. In aggregate, data from these studies suggest that greater height and weight gain may be risk factors for cutaneous melanoma in women. ' 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key words: melanoma; anthropometry; weight; height; body mass index Anthropometric factors such as height, weight and body mass index are related to the occurrence of certain malignancies in women including cancers of the breast, ovary and endometrium. 1,2 Increasing height has been associated with increased risk of cancers of the breast and colon. 2,3 Obesity consistently has been associated with an increased risk of hormone-related cancers such as colon, breast (in postmenopausal women) and endometrium, and also kidney. 4 Evidence for an effect on risk of melanoma, however, remains inconclusive.Several studies have investigated the association between height and weight or body mass and the risk of melanoma in women. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Interpretation of the results has been hampered by differences in methodology and inconsistent approaches to defining overweight and obesity. Moreover, only a few studies have examined associations according to histologic subtype 14,15,25 or menopausal status, 7,8 which may be important given the possible link between reproductive and hormonal factors and risk of melanoma in women. 6,14,[26][27][28][29][30][31] The prevalence of overweight and obesity is growing dramatically in most parts of the world, and generally is higher in women than in men. 32 This is predicted to have major consequences on the incidence of obesity-related diseases. Quantitative assessment of the association between obesity and melanoma is thus important, and may provide further insight into disease etiolo...

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How valid are self‐reported height and weight? A comparison between CATI self‐report and clinic measurements using a large cohort study

Cited by 163 publications

References 23 publications

Validity of self-reported weight and height in Austrian adults: sociodemographic determinants and consequences for the classification of BMI categories

Validity of self-reported weight and height in Austrian adults: sociodemographic determinants and consequences for the classification of BMI categories

Mental ill-health across the continuum of body mass index

Anthropometric factors and risk of melanoma in women: A pooled analysis

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