Smartest Doc
Temporal changes in bias of body mass index scores based on self-reported height and weight
International Journal of Obesity, 05/15/2012
Exclusive author commentary
Stommel M et al. – Over the past 20 years, the bias in self–reported height and weight has declined leading to more accurate body mass index (BMI) categorizations based on self–report. This change is likely to affect efforts to find correction factors to adjust BMI scores based on self–reported height and weight.
M Stommel (05/15/2012) comments:
This study has implications for both researchers and clinicians. For obesity researchers it is highly desirable to be able to use self-reported height and weight in population studies of the health and mortaality risks associated with obesity, since representative samples with physical measures of heaight and weight are expensive and time consuming to obtain. For clinicians, the re-definitions of what should be considered "normal" weight in the population may make it harder to convince people to adjust life-styles, despite public health messages to the contrary.