Validity of self-reported body weight and height among women including patients with eating disorders
D. Ciarapica, B. Mauro, M. Zaccaria, C. Cannella, and A. Polito
Food and Nutrition National Research Institute, Rome, Italy

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of self-reported weight and height among women with eating disorders. The study sample consisted of 271 women aged 18-50 yrs: 73 anorexic patients (AN) with a body mass index (BMI) of <18.50 kg/m2, 54 normal weight bulimic or rehabilitated patients (BU/RE: 18.5<BMI<25), 38 overweight/obese women (OW/OB: BMI≥25 kg/m2) and 106 normal weight women without an eating disorder (NW: 18.5<BMI<25). Their self-reported body weight (BW) and height were recorded during an interview, and measured using standard procedures, and their self-reported and measured BMI was calculated (kg/m2). In comparison with the measured data, the AN patients tended to overestimate their body weight by 0.48±2.05 kg (p<0.05), whereasthe OW/OB and BU/RE patients underestimated it (OW/OB: -1.52±3.21 kg, p=0.006; BU/RE: -1.12±2.60 kg, p=0.003). All of the groups overestimated height by at least 1 cm, and the OW/OB group overestimated it by 2.31±2.94 (p=0.00000). These differences were reflected in the significant underestimate of BMI by all groups except the AN patients. Pearson’s correlation coefficients between the self-reported and measured variables ranged from 0.95 to 0.98. The results of a Bland & Altman analysis showed that the underestimates of weight and BMI were related to the magnitude of the values (BW: r=-0.24, p<0.000078; BMI: r=-0.37, p<0.00000), the differences being greater with increasing values of weight and BMI; sensitivity as greater for the AN patients. The self-reported data led to a significant misclassification of body mass categories, especially among the BU/RE and OW/OB subjects. Our results show that the over-reporting of height and under-reporting of body weight led to significant underestimates of BMI. The AN subjects seemed to know their weight quite well, whereas the BU/RE and OW/OB women significantly underestimated it. On the basis of these findings, measured weight and height should always be preferred to self-reported values. (Eating Weight Disord. 15: e74-e80, 2010). ©2010, Editrice Kurtis

[« Torna indietro] [Full text non abbonati] [Full text abbonati] [Acquista PDF]