title: Interviewer BMI effects on under- and over-reporting of restrained eating: evidence from a national Dutch face-to-face survey and a postal follow-up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effect of interviewer BMI on self-reported restrained eating in a face-to-face survey and to examine under- and over-reporting using the face-to face study and a postal follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 1,212 Dutch adults was assigned to 98 interviewers with different BMI who administered an eating questionnaire. To further evaluate misreporting a mail follow-up was conducted among 504 participants. Data were analyzed using two-level hierarchical models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Interviewer BMI had a positive effect on restrained eating. Normal weight and pre-obese interviewers obtained valid responses, underweight interviewers stimulated under-reporting whereas obese interviewers triggered over-reporting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In face-to-face interviews self-reported dietary restraint is distorted by interviewer BMI. This result has implications for public health surveys, the more so given the expanding obesity epidemic.
authors: Radboud University Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. r.eisinga@maw.ru.nl
authors: Rob
authors: R
authors: Eisinga
authors: Manfred
authors: M
authors: te Grotenhuis
authors: Junilla K
authors: JK
authors: Larsen
authors: Ben
authors: B
authors: Pelzer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D011634:Public Health; D057566:Self Report; D055815:Young Adult