Cited by 1,945Obesity, Physical Activity, DietBody Composition Measurement TechniquesReliability and Agreement in Measurement

A comparison of direct vs. self‐report measures for assessing height, weight and body mass index: a systematic review

Gorber, S. Connor, Tremblay, M., Moher, D., Gorber, B.·2007·Obesity Reviews

Abstract

Summary: Obesity is a rapidly increasing public health problem, with surveillance most often based on self‐reported values of height and weight. We conducted a systematic review to determine what empirical evidence exists regarding the agreement between objective (measured) and subjective (reported) measures in assessing height, weight and body mass index (BMI). Five electronic databases were searched to identify observational and experimental studies on adult populations over the age of 18. Searching identified 64 citations that met the eligibility criteria and examined the relationship between self‐reported and directly measured height or weight. Overall, the data show trends of under‐reporting for weight and BMI and over‐reporting for height, although the degree of the trend varies for men and women and the characteristics of the population being examined. Standard deviations were large indicating that there is a great deal of individual variability in reporting of results. Combining the results quantitatively was not possible because of the poor reporting of outcomes of interest. Accurate estimation of these variables is important as data from population studies such as those included in this review are often used to generate regional and national estimates of overweight and obesity and are in turn used by decision makers to allocate resources and set priorities in health.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1467-789x.2007.00347.x

Cites

76 of 76 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Cites

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4 of the 80 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 9

  1. Tjepkema M, 2005, Measured Obesity. Adult Obesity in Canada: Measured Height and Weight. Nutrition: Findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey.
  2. Shields M, 2005, Measured Obesity. Overweight Canadian Children and Adolescents. Nutrition: Findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey.
  3. Adlaf EM, 1994, A Comparison of Telephone and Personal Interview Surveys for Estimating Alcohol and Other Drug Use
  4. St‐Pierre M, 2004, Mode effects in the Canadian Community Health Survey: A comparison of CAPI and CATI. Proceedings of the American Statistical Association Meeting: Survey Research Methods.
  5. 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199811)24:3<267::aid-eat4>3.0.co;2-k · DOI
  6. Kuskowska‐Wolk A, 1992, Relationship between questionnaire data and medical records of height, weight and body mass index, Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord, 16, 1
  7. 10.1002/1098-108x(200101)29:1<59::aid-eat9>3.0.co;2-# · DOI
  8. Quiles IJ, 1996, [Validity of notified anthropometric data for determining the prevalence of obesity]. [Spanish], Med Clinica, 106, 725
  9. Brunet MEI, 2003, Development and validation of the Screening Test for at Risk Individuals for Eating Disorders (STARVED), Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 63, 2804

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Authors
Gorber, S. C., Tremblay, M., Moher, D., & Gorber, B.
Affiliations
  • Statistics Canada (CA)
  • University of Ottawa (CA)
Corresponding author
Gorber, S. Connor
Venue
Obesity Reviews
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2007-01-26
Volume
8
Issue
4
Pages
307-326
ISSN
  • 1467-7881 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-789X
OpenAlex
W2011137594
Cited by
1,945
References
80
Citations by year
2026: 40 · 2025: 58 · 2024: 80 · 2023: 69 · 2022: 77 · 2021: 98 · 2020: 104 · 2019: 113 · 2018: 114 · 2017: 127 · 2016: 142 · 2015: 135 · 2014: 145 · 2013: 172 · 2012: 127
FWCI
11.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Obesity Reviews (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Body Composition Measurement Techniques
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Reliability and Agreement in Measurement
Keywords
self-reported height, self-reported weight, body mass index, obesity surveillance, measurement agreement, adults
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Body Height, Body Weight, Body Weights and Measures, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity, Self Disclosure, Reproducibility of Results, Body Mass Index, Sex Distribution

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