Agreement between survey and interview measures of weight control practices in adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
The present study examined agreement between survey and interview measures of weight control practices in a nonclinical sample of adolescents.


METHODS
Surveys were administered in three school health classes. Clinical interviews were conducted in a student subsample (N = 43).


RESULTS
Survey-based prevalences for eating behaviors in the past month were: trying to lose weight, 44%; binge eating, 41%; vomiting, 4.7%; laxative use, 0%; and fasting, 14%. Interview-based prevalences were 30%, 11.6%, 0%, 0% and 0%, respectively. Sensitivity was high for all behaviors assessed. However, positive predictive values were low.


CONCLUSIONS
Surveys may be useful as preliminary screening tools for prevention programs, but may yield inflated estimates of unhealthy weight control practices in nonclinical adolescent populations. Research is needed to examine whether adolescents overreport weight control practices on surveys or whether they are less willing to disclose such practices in a private interview.
French
S A
SA
Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55454, USA.
Peterson
C B
CB
Story
M
M
Anderson
N
N
Mussell
M P
MP
Mitchell
J E
JE
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires