J Korean Acad Fam Med.  2001 Dec;22(12):1772-1778.

The accuracy of the recalled body weight and height in middle aged men and women

• Park HS
• Kim OH
• Choi HJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In retrospective studies relating body weight to disease, the source of information on the Past body weight and height is often based on recall. Several studies examined the accuracy of recalled body weight and height, and factors that might affect the accuracy of recall but data on the accuracy of the recalled weight and height are scare. This study examined the eccuracy of recalled body weight and height, over a 5year period.
METHODS
Participants was two hundred and two men and women visiting Health Promotion Center of medical colleage hospital, from 1th Jan. to 30th Jun.1996. We compared of measured weight and height with recalled weight and height 6year later and examined of the influence of sex, occupation, education, chronic disease on recall.
RESULTS
When we defined recall error as measured body weight and height minus recalled body weight and height, the mean of weight errors were 0.02 +/-3.22 kg, and the measured body weight was significantly correlated with recalled body weight (r = 0.96). The mean of height errors were -0.80 1.95 cm, the correlation was 0.97. Weight errors were negatively correlated to weight gain over 5year period (r= -0.49). The accuracy of recall was not influenced by sex, education, occupation, chronic disease.
CONCLUSION
Middle aged men and women recalled their previous 6year weight and height well in this study. The recalled past body weight and height are feasible information in retrospective study relating body weight to disease.

Keyword

recall; weight; height ; recall error

MeSH Terms

Body Weight*
Chronic Disease
Education
Female
Health Promotion
Humans
Male
Middle Aged*
Occupations
Retrospective Studies
Weight Gain