Abstract
BackgroundObesity is investigated as a health concern due to high prevalence in the world. Nowadays, researchers are looking for an indirect method to measure weight and height. Self-reported Body Mass Index (BMI) is ever more served as an alternative method for direct weight and height measurement. Misreporting is a usual concern in self-reported BMI, thus, this study set explored the association and degree of agreement of self-reported BMI with weight perception, Self-Rated Health (SRH), and appearance satisfaction in people living in Tehran, Iran.Methods722 men and women (268 men and 454 women) aged 30–64 years were selected using Cluster Multi-stage Sampling with the Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) method from each area. The questionnaire included demographic and socioeconomic variables and self-reported weight and height and questions related to weight and health perception, and appearance satisfaction. Independent samples T-test compared the mean of scales and differences in characteristics between BMI categories, analyzed using chi-square test. The Cohen’s kappa coefficient examined the association between self-reported BMI and weight perception, SRH, and appearance satisfaction.ResultsThe mean self-reported weight was 80.79 ± 12.87 in men and 68.33 ± 11.53 in women. The results of the agreement analysis for weight perception were Kappa = 0.38 with p < 0.0001 for women and Kappa = 0.23 with p <0.0001 for men. This measure of agreement, while statistically significant, is fair agreement. SRH and appearance satisfaction were not significantly correlated with self-reported BMI.ConclusionThe measurements of height and weight can cause significant imprecisions in calculation of BMI, which is used as a guide for identifying persons at risk of disease. Direct measurement of height and weight should be performed whenever possible for optimal measurements in clinical practice and clinically oriented researches.
Highlights
Obesity is investigated as a health concern due to high prevalence in the world
Normal weight women described themselves as either too thin or underweight or normal weight and more overweight men perceived their weight via self-reported Body Mass Index (BMI) as overweight
These findings proposed that self-reported BMI may have some error in identifying the real BMI
Summary
Obesity is investigated as a health concern due to high prevalence in the world. Self-reported Body Mass Index (BMI) is ever more served as an alternative method for direct weight and height measurement. In Iran as a EMR countries, the prevalence of overweight and obesity 5.4 % and 1.6 %, respectively [4] and the mean BMI report as 24.9 and 26.5 kg/m2 in Iranian males and females, respectively [5]. Cultural meaning, and food subsidize plan, nutrition transition, inactivity, urbanization and an increase in the frequency of eating out, are main factors leading to obesity in this region [4]. Overemphasis on fitness may lead to unhealthy dieting and eating disorders, whereas underestimation may increase the risk of the development of overweight and obesity [8]. The results of a study on body image demonstrated that modernity, awareness about globalization, life style, negotiation in family, cultural capital, and marriage status may account for about 40 % of Iranian women’s body image [9]
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