The validity of recalled weight among younger women
Troy, L.M.; Hunter, D.J.; Manson, J.E.; Colditz, G.A.; Stampfer, M.J.; Willett, W.C.
International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 19(8): 570-572
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0307-0565 PMID: 7489028 Document Number: 445214
METHOD: The authors compared recalled weight at age 18 and self-reported current height among 118 participants in the Nurses' Health Study 11 cohort, aged 25-42 years in 1989, with records from physical examinations conducted at college or nursing school entrance. RESULTS: The correlation between recalled and measured past weight was 0.87 and between reported current height and measured past height was 0.94. Mean body mass index (BMI) values were 21.6 kg/m-2 for BMI calculated using recalled weight and 22.1 kg/m-2 using weight from medical records; the correlation was 0.84. Participants slightly under-reported weight at age 18 (mean difference = 1.4 kg). CONCLUSION: The validity of recalled weight at 18 years of age and self-reported height as an estimate of height at age 18 appears to be high among women in this cohort.