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Accuracy of School Staff‐Measured Height and Weight Used for Body Mass Index Screening and Reporting
Author(s) -
Thompson Hannah R.,
Linchey Jennifer K.,
King Benjamin,
Himes John H.,
Madsen Kristine A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/josh.12788
Subject(s) - intraclass correlation , body mass index , kappa , cohen's kappa , limits of agreement , medicine , psychology , statistics , mathematics , demography , nuclear medicine , reproducibility , geometry , sociology
BACKGROUND The accuracy of students' heights and weights measured by school staff for body mass index (BMI) screening/reporting has not been established. This study examined school staffs' measurement accuracy, comparing accuracy by staff‐ and student‐level characteristics. METHODS School staff and researchers measured the height and weight of 1008 4th–8th grade students, within 1 month of each other. Bland–Altman plots, mean differences, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to examine measurement accuracy. Linear mixed effects models assessed accuracy by staff‐ and student‐level characteristics. RESULTS Bland–Altman plots revealed no appreciable bias in differences between researcher and staff measurements. The mean absolute difference between researcher and school staff measurements were 1.0 ± 1.6 cm (height), 0.7 ± 1.8 kg (weight), and 0.4 ± 0.8 kg/m 2 (BMI). Inter‐rater ICC values were ≥0.97, demonstrating “excellent” reliability. Categorical weight status was correctly classified for 94% of students (kappa 0.90), and for 96% with a BMI ≥95th% (kappa 0.94). Physical education (PE) teachers were slightly less accurate than school nurses in measuring height (0.4 cm less accurate; p = .045) and weight (0.4 kg; p = .015). CONCLUSIONS School staff conducted height/weight measurements on 4th–8th grade students with high accuracy. Resultant school‐based BMI reports using similar protocols should validly reflect weight status for almost all students.