title: Truth be told: evidence of wheelchair users' accuracy in reporting their height and weight.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether wheelchair users' self-reports of height and weight differed significantly from direct measurements and whether weight category classifications differed substantially when based on self-reported or measured values.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single group, cross-sectional analysis. Analyses included paired t tests, chi-square test, analysis of variance, and Bland-Altman agreement analyses.
  
  
  METHODS
  A university-based exercise lab.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-dwelling wheelchair users (N=125).
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants' self-reported and measured height, weight, and body mass index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Paired t tests revealed that there were significant differences between wheelchair users' self-reported and measured values for height (difference of 3.1±7.6cm [1.2±3.0in]), weight (-1.7±6.5kg [-3.6±14.2lb]), and BMI (-1.6±3.3). These discrepancies also led to substantial misclassification into weight categories, with reliance on self-reported BMI underestimating the weight status of 20% of the sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that similar to the general population, wheelchair users are prone to errors when reporting their height and weight and that these errors may exceed those noted in the general population.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas School of Public Health, Dallas Regional Campus, Dallas, TX 75390, USA. katherine.froehlich-grobe@utsouthwestern.edu
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Froehlich-Grobe
authors.forename: Dorothy E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Nary
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: VanSciver
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Washburn
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aaronson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D057566:Self Report; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014910:Wheelchairs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*