title: Validity of self-reported pregravid weight.
abstract: Self-reported pregravid weight is a commonly used baseline indicator of nutritional status in prenatal weight gain studies. This study assesses the validity of self-reported pregravid weight in 1591 gravidas who entered into prenatal care within the first trimester of pregnancy from 1986 to 1988 at the University of Maryland Medical Systems. A significant difference of 4.3 lb (t = 25.56, P < 0.001) was found between self-reported pregravid weight and estimated pregravid weight. Limits of agreement (interval within which 95% of the differences between the self-reported and measured weights) were constructed by population characteristics. Multiple linear regression models with estimated pregravid weight as the dependent variable were estimated by self-reported pregravid weight, body weight, height, age, race, education, insurance status, and marital status groups. A model with self-reported pregravid weight as the sole independent variable was found to explain 88% of the variance in estimated pregravid weight. Results of this study suggest that the validity of self-report pregravid weight varies with sociodemographic and anthropometric factors. Adjustment by a simple regression equation can minimize error in self-reported pregravid weight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Nagey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012650:Self Disclosure; D015430:Weight Gain