title: Is self-reported height or arm span a more accurate alternative measure of height?
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether self-reported height or arm span is the more accurate alternative measure of height. A sample of 409 people between the ages of 19 and 67 (M = 35.0) participated in this anthropometric study. Height, self-reported height, and arm span were measured by 82 nursing research students. Mean differences from criterion measures were 0.17 cm for the measuring rules, 0.47 cm for arm span, and 0.85 cm and 0.87 cm for heights. Test-retest reliability was r = .997 for both height and arm span. The relationships of height to self-reported height and arm span were r = .97 and .90, respectively. Mean absolute differences were 1.80 cm and 4.29 cm, respectively. These findings support the practice of using self-reported height as an alternative measure of measured height in clinical settings, but arm span is an accurate alternative when neither measured height nor self-reported height is obtainable.
authors.affiliation: University at Buffalo School of Nursing, The State University of New York, USA.
authors.forename: Jean K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Jui-Ying
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Knapp
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D001132:Arm / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D015982:Bias; D044383:Black People; D001827:Body Height; D001828:Body Image; D001830:Body Surface Area; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American