title: Validity of proxy-reported height and weight to derive body mass index in adults participating in Special Olympics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Overweight and obesity are common in adults with intellectual disabilities, which complicates their health. To meet their health needs, individuals with intellectual disability frequently rely on proxies to answer questions on their behalf. In the general population, the use of proxy-reported height and weight to compute body mass index (BMI) has been validated, but not among adults with intellectual disability. The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of proxy-reported height, weight and derived BMI among adults with intellectual disability.
  
  
  METHODS
  Proxies were asked to report height and weight on behalf of adults with intellectual disability who participate in Special Olympics Ontario; their answers were compared to measured height and weight.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Proxies reported height and weight accurately; the sensitivity of proxy reports for classifying individuals with intellectual disability as overweight and/or obese was 84.6%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Proxy reports may be useful when direct measurements of individuals with intellectual disability are not available.
authors.affiliation: University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dobranowski
authors.affiliation: University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Meghann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.affiliation: University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Côté
authors.affiliation: University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balogh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D017028:Caregivers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D008297:Male; D009864:Ontario; D010290:Parents; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: body mass index; intellectual disability; measurement; obesity; overweight; proxy report