| Autor: |
Hill, Anthony, Roberts, Julian |
| Zdroj: |
Journal of Public Health Medicine; Jun1998, Vol. 20 Issue 2, p206-210, 5p |
| Abstrakt: |
Background Body mass index is used to measure obesity in individuals and to monitor trends in population obesity. Some observers use self-reported height and weight to assess body mass index; others use measured parameters. This paper reports on a study to compare body mass index when calculated from self-reported and measured heights and weights. Methods A randomized postal questionnaire survey and follow-up clinical measurement study were carried out in a geographically defined population in the rural South West of England; subjects were 6000 residents of Somerset health district aged 16–64 years selected from the Family Health Services Authority register. Results The response rate for the postal questionnaire was 57.6 per cent. A total of 73.3 per cent of responders agreed to clinical measurements; 84 per cent of measured volunteers had over-reported their height and 74 per cent underreported their weight. The difference between body mass indices based on self-reported and measured values of height and weight is highly statistically significant for the whole population and for most age-sex and body mass groups. Conclusions Self-reported heights and weights are unreliable and if used for monitoring health targets should be treated with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] |
| Databáze: |
Complementary Index |
| Externí odkaz: |
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