Marie-Christine Brault1, Olivier Turcotte2, Annie Aimé3, Marilou Côté2, Catherine Bégin2. 1. Department of Psychoeducation and Psychology, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: marie-christine.brault@uqo.ca. 2. School of Psychology, Université Laval, Québec, Canada. 3. Department of Psychoeducation and Psychology, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Québec, Canada.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To assess the accuracy of self- and parent-report of weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) in children between 8 and 12 years of age and to determine whether self- or parent-report should be preferred for preadolescents' subjective measures. STUDY DESIGN: Through at-home questionnaires, 875 preadolescent children (44% boys; 56% girls) and their parents (N = 821) were asked to report the children's weight and height. Objective weight and height were measured at school by trained interviewers. RESULTS: Correlations between objective, self-reported, and parent-reported measures were strong for weight, height, and BMI, but children and parents generally underestimated the children's weight by about 1 kg, their height by less than 1 cm, and their BMI by less than 0.25 kg/m(2). The magnitude of the underestimation varied by age, sex, and BMI category, with older children, girls, and children in the overweight and obese BMI categories underestimating their weight to a greater extent. Weight estimates provided by girls' parents tended to be lower than the real values more often than those of boys' parents. CONCLUSIONS: Children and parents are likely to misreport children's weight, height, and BMI. For most youths aged 8 years of age and older, self-report appears as accurate as parent-report and could, therefore, be used interchangeably.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the accuracy of self- and parent-report of weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) in children between 8 and 12 years of age and to determine whether self- or parent-report should be preferred for preadolescents' subjective measures. STUDY DESIGN: Through at-home questionnaires, 875 preadolescent children (44% boys; 56% girls) and their parents (N = 821) were asked to report the children's weight and height. Objective weight and height were measured at school by trained interviewers. RESULTS: Correlations between objective, self-reported, and parent-reported measures were strong for weight, height, and BMI, but children and parents generally underestimated the children's weight by about 1 kg, their height by less than 1 cm, and their BMI by less than 0.25 kg/m(2). The magnitude of the underestimation varied by age, sex, and BMI category, with older children, girls, and children in the overweight and obese BMI categories underestimating their weight to a greater extent. Weight estimates provided by girls' parents tended to be lower than the real values more often than those of boys' parents. CONCLUSIONS:Children and parents are likely to misreport children's weight, height, and BMI. For most youths aged 8 years of age and older, self-report appears as accurate as parent-report and could, therefore, be used interchangeably.
Authors: Callie L Brown; Camden E Matherne; Cynthia M Bulik; Janna B Howard; Sophie N Ravanbakht; Asheley C Skinner; Charles T Wood; Anna M Bardone-Cone; Jane D Brown; Andrew J Perrin; Cary Levine; Michael J Steiner; Eliana M Perrin Journal: Appetite Date: 2017-03-18 Impact factor: 3.868
Authors: Leah M Lipsky; Denise L Haynie; Christine Hill; Tonja R Nansel; Kaigang Li; Danping Liu; Ronald J Iannotti; Bruce Simons-Morton Journal: Am J Prev Med Date: 2019-04-17 Impact factor: 5.043