About this srcd poster session

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Panel information
Panel 12. Methods, History, Theory

Abstract

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Background: Self-reported height and weight are convenient and affordable alternatives for anthropometric measurements, but their accuracy is contested. This study expands the discussion on the validity of self-report as a proxy for official measurements by examining the accuracy of a diverse population of emerging adults across sociodemographic characteristics.
Methods: 348 racially/ethnically diverse emerging adult college students aged 18 to 24 completed a survey, where they self-reported height and weight, and an in-person health visit where height and weight were measured by a trained research assistant.
Results: In comparison to anthropometric measurements, participants, on average, overreported their height by 2.02 cm and underreported their weight by 0.55 kg, which led to the calculated BMI being 0.79 kg/m^2 underestimated. The only subsample that we found to have a significant difference in their self-reported and measured values was cisgender men, who, on average, overreported their height by 2.79 cm. Cisgender men overreported their height, on average, more than women and transgender and gender diverse participants to a statistically significant extent (1.11 cm and 1.32 cm more, respectively). Women underreported their weight in comparison to men and transgender and gender diverse participants by 0.39 kg and 0.93 kg, respectively, neither of which to a statistically significant extent. LGBQ+ participants overreported their height less than heterosexual participants (P = 0.04), Hispanic/Latine participants had a less accurate BMI from their self-reported measurements than white participants (P = 0.02), and obese and overweight participants underreported their weight more than normal weight participants (P < 0.01). Seventeen percent of participants were assigned to a different BMI category based on their self-reported height and weight in comparison to their anthropometrically measured height and weight.
Discussion: We found inaccuracy in self-reported height and weight, although the magnitude of the inaccuracies were relatively small. There were some differences by sociodemographic group (e.g., gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity) in extent of misreporting.

Author information

Author	Role
Isabella Udassin Yalif, Vanderbilt University, Department of Economics	Presenting author
Lindsay T. Hoyt, Fordham University, Department of Psychology	Non-presenting author
Lucia Calderón, University of California San Francisco, School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics	Non-presenting author
Tatyana Bidopia, Fordham University, Department of Psychology	Non-presenting author
Natasha L. Burke, Fordham University, Department of Psychology	Non-presenting author
Benjamin W. Chaffee, University of California San Francisco, School of Dentistry, Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Science	Non-presenting author
Ryan Gamba, California State University East Bay	Non-presenting author
Alison K. Cohen, University of California San Francisco, School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics	Non-presenting author

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