Comparison of BMI Derived from Parent-Reported Height and Weight with Measured Values: Results from the German KiGGS Study

Abstract

The use of parent-reported height and weight is a cost-efficient instrument to assess the prevalence of children’s weight status in large-scale surveys. This study aimed to examine the accuracy of BMI derived from parent-reported height and weight and to identify potential predictors of the validity of BMI derived from parent-reported data. A subsample of children aged 2–17 years (n = 9,187) was taken from the 2003–2006 cross-sectional German KiGGS study. Parent-reported and measured height and weight were collected and BMI was calculated. Besides descriptive analysis, linear regression models with BMI difference and logistic regression models with weight status misclassification as dependent variables were calculated. Height differences varied by gender and were generally small. Weight and BMI were under-reported in all age groups, the under-reporting getting stronger with increasing age. Overall, the proportion for overweight and obesity based on parental and measured reports differed slightly. In the youngest age group, the proportion of overweight children was overestimated, while it was underestimated for older children and adolescents. Main predictors of the difference between parent reported and measured values were age, gender, weight status and parents’ perception of the child’s weight. In summary, the exclusive use of uncorrected parental reports for assessment of prevalence rates of weight status is not recommended.

Body Mass Index Accuracy in Preadolescents: Can We Trust Self-Report or Should We Seek Parent Report?

“…[13][14][15][16] The association between objective and subjective measures of weight, height, and BMI was strong, which is consistent with findings from some previous studies. 16,17 Besides, as in other studies, 13,16,[18][19][20][21][22] underestimation of weight and height based on subjective data was observed. In the present study, this underestimation can be considered small, as mean differences of less than 1 kg for weight and of less than 1 cm for height were observed for children.…”

Latent protective effects of breastfeeding on late childhood overweight and obesity: A nationwide prospective study

“…The validity of parent-reported height and weight in children varies across countries. A German study reported that parental reports of their children's BMI were underestimated and sensitivity and specificity for overweight ranged from 66.7% to 67.1% and from 90.1 to 91.2%, respectively, for boys and girls (35). However, a Japanese study suggests that parent-reported BMI is more precise; the correlations between parent-reported and measured BMI ranged between 0.86 and 0.97, and sensitivity and specificity for the presence of obesity ranged from 83.3% to 93.3% and 96.3% to 98.9%, respectively (36).…”

Prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en los niños de 9 y 10 años del Principado de Asturias: el sesgo de la valoración de los padres

“…Brettschneider et al 13 observaron que en los niños mayores y en los adolescentes la proporción de sobrepeso y obesidad es subestimada por los padres. Del mismo modo, cuando son los jóvenes quienes informan de su peso y altura tienden a subestimar el primero y sobreestimar la segunda 15 .…”

“…Se trata del modo de obtener el registro del peso y la altura de los niños. En este sentido, se ha observado que cuando los datos son proporcionados por los padres de los niños y adolescentes, estos tienden infravalorar su peso y sobrevalorar su altura 13 .…”