Self-reported weight and height
Abstract
The error in self-reported weight and height compared with measured weight and height was evaluated in a nationally representative sample of 11,284 adults aged 20-74 y from the second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 1976-1980. Although weight and height were reported, on the average, with small errors, self-reported weight and height are unreliable in important population subgroups. Errors in self-reporting weight were directly related to a person's overweight status--bias and unreliability in self-report increased directly with the magnitude of overweight. Errors in self-reported weight were greater in overweight females than in overweight males. Race, age, and end-digit preference were ancillary predictors of reporting error in weight. Errors in self-reporting height were related to a person's age--bias and unreliability in self-reporting increased directly with age after age 45 y. Overweight status was also a predictor of reporting error in height.
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- Authors
- Rowland, M.
- Affiliations
- National Center for Health Statistics (US)
- Corresponding author
- Rowland, ML
- Venue
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1990-12
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1125-1133
- ISSN
- 0002-9165 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1845276255
- Cited by
- 994
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 41 · 2014: 53 · 2013: 57 · 2012: 45
- FWCI
- 22.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Survey Methodology and Nonresponse
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Body Composition Measurement Techniques
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Keywords
- self-reported weight, self-reported height, measurement error, overweight, reporting bias, reliability statistics, sex differences, racial differences, age differences, NHANES II
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Analysis of Variance, Body Height, Body Weight, Educational Status, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity, Regression Analysis, Self Concept, Sex Factors, Bias, Multivariate Analysis
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