Validity of self-reported weight and height among female young adults in the United Arab Emirates
Open accessAbstract
Self-reported weight and height serve as important metrics in estimating overweight and obesity prevalence within epidemiological studies, primarily due to their cost and time efficiency. However, the accuracy and reliability of these self-reported measures remain controversial, with conflicting reports emerging from different regions. This study aims to compare self-reported weight and height with measured values among young female adults in the United Arab Emirates. A cross-sectional study of 131 female university students aged 17–27 reported their weight and height on a self-administered questionnaire and on the same day had their height and weight measured. Body Mass Index (BMI) values of both self-reported and measured weight and height were calculated and categorized according to the World Health Organization’s cut-off points. Overall, 87% of students had a resultant self-reported BMI value within their actual BMI category. The mean differences between self-reported and measured weight and height in the present study were -0.92 kg and 0.38 cm, respectively. Results indicated strong agreement between self-reported and direct measurements, as demonstrated by weighted Kappa statistics (kappa = 0.87). Bland & Altman plots illustrated that the majority of values fell within the limits of agreement (2 SD), with no systemic bias detected. BMI calculated from self-reported data demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity. Linear regression analyses revealed that self-reported weight (r 2 = 0.973; p<0.001), height (r 2 = 0.902; p<0.001), and BMI (r 2 = 0.964; p<0.001) accurately predicted measured weight, height, and BMI. The study’s results highlight the ability of female university students in the UAE to accurately provide self-reports of their weight and height. This finding provides further support for the utilization of self-reported data on height and weight as a valid method for collecting anthropometric information.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
The Measurement of Observer Agreement for Categorical Data
Landis, J. R., & Koch, G. G. (1977) · Biometrics · doi:10.2307/2529310 · Cited by 81,148 · see citing works
A guideline of selecting and reporting intraclass correlation coefficients for reliability research
Koo, T. K., & Li, M. Y. (2016) · Journal of Chiropractic Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.jcm.2016.02.012 · Cited by 29,639 · see citing works
Measuring agreement in method comparison studies
Bland, J. M., & Altman, D. G. (1999) · Statistical Methods in Medical Research · doi:10.1177/096228029900800204 · Cited by 9,619 · see citing works
Reliability and validity of self-reported height and weight among high school students
Brener, N. D., McManus, T., Galuska, D. A., Lowry, R., & WECHSLER, H. (2003) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/s1054-139x(02)00708-5 · Cited by 557 · see citing works
How Accurate is Web-Based Self-Reported Height, Weight, and Body Mass Index in Young Adults?
Pursey, K., Burrows, T. L., Stanwell, P., & Collins, C. E. (2014) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.2909 · Cited by 292 · see citing works
Statistical methods for assessing agreement for ordinal data
Jakobsson, U., & Westergren, A. (2005) · Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1471-6712.2005.00368.x · Cited by 207 · see citing works
Gow, R. W., Trace, S. E., & Mazzeo, S. E. (2009) · Eating Behaviors · doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2009.08.005 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
Davies, A. J., Wellard‐Cole, L., Rangan, A., & Allman-Farinelli, M. A. (2019) · Nutrition · doi:10.1016/j.nut.2019.110622 · Cited by 159 · see citing works
Bowring, A. L., Peeters, A., Freak‐Poli, R., Lim, M. S. C., Gouillou, M., & Hellard, M. E. (2012) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-175 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Accuracy and reliability of self-reported weight and height in the Sister Study
Lin, C. J., DeRoo, L. A., Jacobs, S. R., & Sandler, D. P. (2012) · Public Health Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s1368980011003193 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Madrigal, H., Sánchez‐Villegas, A., Martínez‐González, M. Á., Kearney, J. M., Gibney, M. J., de Irala, J., & Martínez, J. (2000) · Public Health · doi:10.1038/sj.ph.1900702 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Danubio, M. E., Miranda, G., Vinciguerra, G., Vecchi, E., & Rufo, F. (2007) · Economics & Human Biology · doi:10.1016/j.ehb.2007.04.002 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
A comparison of self‐reported and measured height, weight and BMI in Australian adolescents
Wang, Z., Patterson, C. M., & Hills, A. P. (2002) · Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1111/j.1467-842x.2002.tb00350.x · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Validity of self-reported weight and height and predictors of weight bias in female college students
Larsen, J. K., Ouwens, M. A., Engels, R. C. M. E., Eisinga, R., & van Strien, T. (2007) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2007.09.002 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Vriendt, T. D., Huybrechts, I., Ottevaere, C., Trimpont, I. V., & Henauw, S. D. (2009) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph6102696 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Concordance of Self-Report and Measured Height and Weight of College Students
Quick, V., Byrd‐Bredbenner, C., Shoff, S. M., White, A. A., Lohse, B., Horacek, T. M., Kattelmann, K. K., Phillips, B. W., Hoerr, S. L., & Greene, G. W. (2014) · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2014.08.012 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Ekström, S., Kull, I., Nilsson, S., & Bergström, A. (2015) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.3947 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Zhou, X., Dibley, M. J., Cheng, Y., Ouyang, X., & Yan, H. (2010) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-190 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Gunnare, N. A., Silliman, K., & Morris, M. N. (2013) · Body Image · doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2013.01.006 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Validity of Self-Reported Height and Weight in a Korean Population
Lee, D. H., Shin, A., Kim, J., Yoo, K.-Y., & Sung, J. (2010) · Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.2188/jea.je20100058 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Kurth, B., & Ellert, U. (2010) · Obesity Facts · doi:10.1159/000314638 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Self-Reported Versus Measured Height and Weight in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Menopausal Women
Griebeler, M. L., Levis, S., Beringer, L. M., Chacra, W., & Gómez-Marı́n, O. (2011) · Journal of Women s Health · doi:10.1089/jwh.2009.1850 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Leyvraz, M., Ortega, N., & Chioléro, A. (2022) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu15010075 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Rasmussen, M., Holstein, B. E., Melkevik, O., & Damsgaard, M. T. (2013) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/1471-2288-13-85 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Chia, Y. C., Ching, S. M., Ooi, P. B., Beh, H. C., Chew, M. T., Chung, F. F., Devaraj, N. K., & Lim, H. M. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0280483 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Sherry, B. (2007) · Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine · doi:10.1001/archpedi.161.12.1154 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Dalton, W. T., Wang, L., Southerland, J. L., Schetzina, K. E., & SLAWSON, D. L. (2014) · Southern Medical Journal · doi:10.14423/01.smj.0000450708.52011.7c · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Nutrition-related chronic diseases epidemic in UAE: can we stand to STOP it?
Belal, A. M. (2009) · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Accuracy in estimating the body weight of self and others: Impact of dietary restraint and BMI
Vartanian, L. R., & Germeroth, L. J. (2011) · Body Image · doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2011.06.007 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Fry, J. M., & Temple, J. (2022) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-022-14326-y · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Accuracy of Self-Reported Height and Weight to Determine Body Mass Index Among Youth
Kreatsoulas, C. (2014) · Journal of Child and Adolescent Behaviour · doi:10.4172/2375-4494.1000126 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Improving the accuracy of self-reported height and weight in surveys: an experimental study
Dyke, N. V., Drinkwater, E., & Rachele, J. (2022) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/s12874-022-01690-x · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Al-Hazzaa, H. M., Alawadhi, B., Al-Dashti, Y. A., Alajmi, F. A., Almansour, F. D., & Al-Haifi, A. R. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-09909-z · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Mori, S., Asakura, K., Sasaki, S., & Nishiwaki, Y. (2023) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-023-15682-z · Cited by 4 · see citing works
The Accuracy of Body Mass Index Estimated from Self- Reported Height and Weight in Turkish Adults
Kamuk, Y. U. (2022) · Cyprus Journal of Medical Sciences · doi:10.4274/cjms.2020.2017 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Pacheco, A. L. D. G., Santos, G. C. J., Costa, D. M. L., Fraga, J. V. C., Sacramento, H. S., da Costa, J. M., Mbanze, S. F., Congo, C., Pereira, J. G., de Santana, T. F., et al. (2025) · Clinical Nutrition ESPEN · doi:10.1016/j.clnesp.2025.11.163 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Uyar, G. Ö., Aslan, S., Arslan, M., Çamli, A., Bozkurt, O., & Bozkurt, B. K. (2025) · Nutrition · doi:10.1016/j.nut.2025.113078 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Yalif, I. U., Hoyt, L. T., Calderon, L. E., Bidopia, T., Burke, N. L., Chaffee, B. W., Gamba, R. J., Atherwood, S., Bae, J., & Cohen, A. K. (2026) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/s12874-025-02745-5 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Participants with underweight were more likely to be incorrectly classified as having normal weight based on self-reported measurements, which supports previous findings that underweight people overreport their weight [14, 20].”
Four Facet Mindful Eating and Eating Disorder Risk: Mediation By Depression and Body Mass Index.
Aydin, O., & Cetin, A. K. (2026) · Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics · doi:10.1111/jhn.70199
Happiness is associated with healthy eating among young adults: A cross-sectional study
Afrin, A., Faris, M. E., Abbas, N., Abdelrahim, D. N., Arasudeen, A., Mandeel, M. A., Shalabi, N., Rizwana, W., Waseem, Z., Mahmoud, O. A. A., et al. (2025) · Advances in Biomedical and Health Sciences · doi:10.4103/abhs.abhs_6_25
- Authors
- Haroun, D., & Ehsanallah, A.
- Affiliations
- Zayed University (AE)
- Corresponding author
- Haroun, Dalia
- ORCID
- Haroun, Dalia
- Venue
- PLOS ONE
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2024-04-18
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- e0302439
- ISSN
- 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC11025931
- OpenAlex
- W4394933417
- Cited by
- 5
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3
- FWCI
- 2.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Body Composition Measurement Techniques
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods in Epidemiology
- Keywords
- self-reported weight, self-reported height, measurement validity, body mass index, obesity prevalence, overweight, young women, university students, anthropometric data collection, United Arab Emirates
- MeSH terms
- Body Height, Body Weight, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, United Arab Emirates, Reproducibility of Results, Body Mass Index, Young Adult, Self Report
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
