Validity of self-reported weight and height and predictors of weight bias in female college students

• Published in: Appetite Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 386 - 389
• Main Authors: Larsen, Junilla K., Ouwens, Machteld, Engels, Rutger C.M.E., Eisinga, Rob, van Strien, Tatjana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: accuracy; Adult; Bias; Biological and medical sciences; Body Height; Body Image; Body Mass Index; Body Weight; college students; dietary restriction; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; height; Humans; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; overweight; Overweight - psychology; prediction; Predictive Value of Tests; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; questionnaires; Reproducibility of Results; Restraint; Self Disclosure; Self-report; Sensitivity; Sensitivity and Specificity; Specificity; Truth Disclosure; validity; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Weight; women; Restraint; Sensitivity; Specificity; Weight; Self-report; Human; Feeding behavior; Nutrition; Self evaluation; University environment; Prediction; Corporal biometry; Student; Prevention; Validity; Body size; Young adult; Female; Height; Predictive factor
• ISSN: 0195-6663; 1095-8304
• DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2007.09.002

Main objectives of the present study were to examine (i) the accuracy of using female college students’ self-reports of weight and height in estimating rates of overweight and (ii) whether dietary restraint or Body Mass Index (BMI) was the most important predictor of weight underestimation. Participants were 209 female college students who were asked to report their weight and height on a questionnaire, while they were not told that their weight would be verified. Self-report screening was highly specific (98.9%) in identifying cases of normal weight, but only moderately sensitive (48.3%) in identifying cases of overweight. While dietary restraint was not an important predictor of weight underestimation, a higher BMI was an important predictor of weight underestimation. Our findings indicate that heavier female college students strongly underestimate their weight and that exclusive reliance on self-reports of weight and height can lead to erroneous prevalence estimates of overweight among female college students.