Open AccessAccuracy of body mass index estimated from self‐reported height and weight in mid‐aged Australian women
Author(s) -
Burton Nicola W,
Brown Wendy,
Dobson Annette
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00618.x
Subject(s) - body mass index , medicine , overweight , demography , obesity , mean difference , population , kappa , linear regression , confidence interval , statistics , mathematics , geometry , environmental health , sociology
Objective:To assess the accuracy of body mass index (BMI) estimated from self‐reported height and weight from a mailed survey, in a population‐based sample of mid‐aged Australian women.Methods:One hundred and fifty nine women (age 54–59 years) were recruited from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). Participants provided height and weight data in a mailed survey and were then measured (Brisbane, Australia 2005). Differences between self‐reported and measured data were examined by plotting against the measured values and using paired t‐tests and kappa statistics. Factors associated with biased reporting were assessed using regression models.Results:Both self‐reported height and weight tended to be underestimated, with a mean difference of 0.67 cm (95% CI 0.26 to1.08 cm) and 0.95 kg (95% CI 0.44 to1.47 kg) respectively. Reported height and derived BMI was more accurate among married women than single women (average difference of 1.28 cm, 95% CI 0.19 to 2.37 cm and –1.00 kg/m 2 , 95%CI –1.69 to –0.30, respectively). Women with BMI 18.5–24.9 kg/m 2 reported weight more accurately than obese women (average difference of 2.26 kg, 95% CI 0.14 to 4.38 kg). There was 84% agreement between BMI categories derived from self‐reported and measured data, with 85%, 73% and 94% of women correctly classified as obese, overweight, and healthy BMI using self‐reported data and kappa=0.81.Conclusions:There is substantial agreement between self‐reported and measured height and weight data for mid‐aged women, especially among married and healthy weight women.Implications:Population‐based studies among mid‐aged women in Australia can use self‐reported data obtained from mailed surveys to derive BMI estimates.