Differences in measured and self-reported height and weight in Dutch adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
Monitoring overweight prevalence and its trends in Dutch youth is frequently based on self-reported data. The validity of self-reported data especially in young adolescents is not sufficiently known. The purpose of this study is to study the validity of self-reported height and weight in 12- to 13-year-olds, to identify sociodemographic correlates and to explore whether correction factors can be developed to estimate the prevalence of overweight in youth.


METHODS
5,525 12- to 13-year-old pupils in the Rotterdam area filled in a confidential questionnaire on health topics, including their height and weight. In a sub-sample of 499 pupils both self-reported and measured height and weight were available.


RESULTS
Self-reported data led to a considerable underestimation of Body Mass Index and consequently the prevalence of overweight. Underestimation was higher in pupils who regarded themselves as more fat, were of non-Dutch origin and in lower education levels.


CONCLUSIONS
Self-reported height and weight appeared to be inappropriate to estimate the overweight prevalence in 12- to 13-year-olds, unless the figures were adjusted. Using adjusted self-reported BMI on an individual level is questionable. Actual measurements of height and weight are necessary to draw up valid correction formulas in new samples.
Jansen
W
W
Municipal Health Service for Rotterdam area, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. jansenw@ggd.rotterdam.nl
van de Looij-Jansen
P M
PM
Ferreira
I
I
de Wilde
E J
EJ
Brug
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires