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Bias in height and weight reported by Swedish adolescents and relations to body dissatisfaction: the COMPASS study

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 61, pages 870–876 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To assess the size of biases in self-reported height, weight in a large sample of adolescents with special attention to possible effects of body dissatisfaction and to assess how such biases may influence estimates of overweight and obesity.

Design:

Cross-sectional study.

Setting:

Unselected population from Southwestern parts of Stockholm County, Sweden.

Subjects:

Two-thousand seven hundred and twenty-six boys and girls, 15 years of age.

Methods:

Data were collected by a questionnaire answered by adolescents and a physical examination made by trained study nurses. A validated physical appearance scale and body silhouettes were embedded into the questionnaire.

Results:

Obese boys under-reported their weight (5.2 kg) (95% confidence intervals (CI) 3.7; 6.6) more than obese girls (3.8 kg) (95% CI 1.8; 5.8). Agreement between self-reported and measured body mass index (BMI)-categories (obese, overweight and non-overweight/obese) as estimated by weighted kappa was 0.77 (95% CI 0.72; 0.82) for girls and 0.74 (95% CI 0.70; 0.79) for boys. For obese girls and boys sensitivity of self-reports were 0.65 (95% CI 0.47; 0.79) and 0.52 (95% CI 0.38; 0.66). Boys with low scores on the physical appearance scale under-reported their weight and BMI more than those with high scores. Boys and girls who wished to be leaner under-reported their weight and BMI more than subjects who were satisfied with their body size (P<0.05).

Conclusion:

Thirty-five percent of obese girls and 48% of obese boys would remain undetected from self-reported data. Boys and girls who were dissatisfied with their physical appearance or size under-reported their weight more than satisfied subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health Sciences, Child and Adolescent Public Health Epidemiology Group, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    F Rasmussen, M Eriksson & T Nordquist

Authors
  1. F Rasmussen
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  2. M Eriksson
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  3. T Nordquist
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Correspondence to F Rasmussen.

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Rasmussen, F., Eriksson, M. & Nordquist, T. Bias in height and weight reported by Swedish adolescents and relations to body dissatisfaction: the COMPASS study. Eur J Clin Nutr 61, 870–876 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602595

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