Validity of self-reported weight and height: comparison between immigrant and non-immigrant Mexican Americans in NHANES III.
This study examined whether 1) the immigrant Mexican Americans reported weight and height differently from the non-immigrant Mexican Americans and, 2) self-reporting errors influenced weight classification. A U.S. national sample of 3085 Mexican Americans from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used to investigate validity using paired t-tests, multiple linear regressions, sensitivity and specificity. While immigrant Mexican American women reported their weight and height higher than non-immigrant women, no significant differences were found between immigrant and non-immigrant Mexican American men. Sensitivity and specificity of weight classification with self-reported weight and height were not different between immigrant and non-immigrant Mexican Americans; however, underweight Mexican Americans showed the lowest sensitivity. Therefore, self-reported weight and height can be used for the purpose of weight classification with immigrant and non-immigrant Mexican Americans, with an exception of underweight Mexican Americans.
Lee
Soo-Kyung
SK
Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 26 Nichol Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. SKLee@aesop.rutgers.edu
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D001827:Body Height / Q000208:ethnology*; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio