Self-reported weight and height: implications for obesity research.
BACKGROUND
Self-reported weight and height are under- and over-reported, respectively, in epidemiologic studies. This tendency, which may adversely affect study operations, has not been evaluated among subjects being enrolled into a weight-loss program.


METHODS
Self-reported weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were compared to measured values in 97 overweight or obese (BMI>27.3) women being enrolled into a randomized, controlled trial of two behavioral interventions for weight loss. The effects of demographic factors, baseline weight, baseline height, and baseline BMI on weight and height reporting were assessed.


RESULTS
There was a significant difference between measured and reported weight (mean difference=-3.75 lb, p=0.0001) and height (mean difference=+0.35 in., p=0.0007). The mean difference between measured and reported BMI was -1.14 kg/m(2) (p=0.0001). Unemployed, retired, or disabled women were more likely to under-report their BMI than employed women (p=0.001). Six percent of subjects who were initially considered eligible for the study on the basis of the self-report were eventually excluded from the study because they did not meet the inclusion criterion for BMI.


CONCLUSIONS
Obese women who seek weight-loss assistance tend to under-report their weight and over-report their height, suggesting that self-reported data are likely to be inaccurate. Misreporting is apparently influenced by employment and disability and has the potential to complicate recruitment of subjects for research studies.
Nawaz
H
H
Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, Derby CT 06418, USA. haqnawaz@pol.net
Chan
W
W
Abdulrahman
M
M
Larson
D
D
Katz
D L
DL
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012106:Research; D012647:Self-Assessment