title: Concordance of self-report and measured height and weight of college students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined associations between college students' self-report and measured height and weight.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (N = 1,686) were 77% white, 62% female, aged 18-24 years (mean ± SD, 19.1 ± 1.1 years), and enrolled at 8 US universities. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for self-report (via online survey); trained researchers measured height and weight and categorized them as normal (18.5 to < 25), overweight (25 to < 30), obese (30 to < 35), and morbidly obese (≥ 35).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Concordance of self-report vs objectively measured BMI groups using chi-square revealed that 93% were accurate, 4% were underestimated, and 2.7% were overestimated. Pearson correlations and adjusted linear regression revealed significant associations between self-report and measured BMI (r = .97; P < .001) and BMI adjusted for age, gender, and race/ethnicity (R² = .94). Concordance was also high between BMI categories (kappa = 0.77; P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings provide support for the utility of self-report height and weight for survey research in college students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. Electronic address: gingermquick@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Quick
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Byrd-Bredbenner
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shoff
authors.affiliation: School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, Orono, ME.
authors.forename: Adrienne A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lohse
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Horacek
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Nutritional Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD.
authors.forename: Kendra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kattelmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
authors.forename: Sharon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hoerr
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
authors.forename: Geoffrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Greene
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D013334:Students; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: body mass index; college students; height; self-report; weight