Prevalence Estimates Of Overweight Research Articles

Epidemiology of obesity and control interventions in Saudi Arabia.

Prevalence estimates for overweight and obesity in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Saudi Arabia, have increased over the last 4 decades. Although the World Health Organization encourages countries to implement initiatives aimed at controlling obesity, limited research has been published on the impact of such initiatives in Saudi Arabia. To assess the epidemiology of overweight and obesity in Saudi Arabia, describe and evaluate the effectiveness of past and current interventions, and recommend actions for prevention and control. A narrative review of data from the Global Health Observatory was used to determine yearly estimates of prevalence of overweight and obesity in Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 2016. Large-scale interventions aimed at controlling obesity and its risk factors in Saudi Arabia were identified and summarized. Prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity among men and women in Saudi Arabia continued to increase from 1990 to 2019. Prevalence among adults was more than 60% and among children and adolescents it was 20-60%, suggesting a continuing trend. Interventions were identified but their impact on the prevention and control of obesity and its risk factors was unclear. Prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity have been steadily increasing in Saudi Arabia since 1975. Integrated, "whole-of-community" approach, with continuous evaluation, is needed to achieve sustainable prevention and control of obesity in the country.

Estimating county-level overweight prevalence in Kenya using small area methodology

Public health surveillance of overweight prevalence is essential to assess the extent of the problem, identify regions and groups most affected and inform policy-making. However, the needed reliable data at disaggregated levels is lacking in Kenya. The Kenya STEPwise Survey for Non-communicable Diseases and RiskFactors (KSSNDRF) was nationally representative. It was used to obtain various indicators of non-communicable diseases and risk factors including overweight. However, due to small sample sizes at lower levels like at the county, overweight prevalence estimates are statistically imprecise (i.e., high variance). Therefore, to increase the effective sample size we combine data from the KSSNDRF and the Kenya Population and Housing Census by model-based small area methods. In particular, we fit an arcsine square-root transformed Fay–Herriot model. To transform back to the original scale, we use a bias-corrected back transformation. For this model, we smooth the design variance using Generalised Variance Functions. We compute the mean squared error estimates using a bootstrap procedure. We found that counties within urban areas — including the major towns like Nairobi, Nakuru, Nyeri and Mombasa — have a higher prevalence of overweight compared to rural counties. Although the paper focuses on overweight prevalence in Kenya, the presented method can also be applied to other indicators in developing countries with similar data sources.

PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY IN AFRICAN LEARNERS

Objective: There is an increasing trend in the global estimates of childhood overweight and obesity presenting major public health crisis in developed and developing countries. We report the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school learners residing in Africa according to different diagnostic criteria and population level characteristics.Design and method: A comprehensive search of multiple databases was conducted to identify relevant research conducted between 1980 and 2017. Random effects models were used to pool prevalence data within and across population level characteristics, after variance stabilisation through arcsine transformation. Results: Data from 45 studies across Africa comprising 92,379 and 89,468 participants for overweight and obesity estimates were included in the meta-analysis (see flowchart of the studies selection). The overall overweight prevalence estimates by the major criteria were: 10.5% [95% confidence interval: 7.1–14.3], 9.5% [6.5–13.0] by WHO, 11.5% [9.6–13.4] by IOTF, and 0.5% [0.0–4.5] by CDC respectively and these differed significantly across the various criteria a (p = 0.0027). Prevalence estimates were mostly higher in urban than in rural schools, and in private than in public schools, but generally similar by gender, major geographic region and varied less by time period, or study sample size. There were substantial heterogeneities in the estimates across studies, not always explained by major studies level characteristics. Conclusions: Overweight an obesity are common among school-going African children, particularly those attending urban schools and in private schools. Our results support the urgent need for intervention strategies, policies and programmes to address the lifestyle changes contributing to the growing excess weight in children in this setting.

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among African Primary School Learners: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: There is an increasing trend in the global prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity, presenting major public health challenge in developed and developing countries. We report the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school learners residing in Africa according to different diagnostic criteria and population level characteristics. Methods: A comprehensive search of multiple databases was conducted to identify relevant research articles published between June 1980 and Feb 2017. Random effects models were used to pool prevalence data within and across population level characteristics, after variance stabilisation through arcsine transformation. Findings: Data from 45 studies across Africa comprising 92,379 and 89,468 participants for overweight and obesity estimates were included in the meta-analysis. Study quality was moderate. The overall overweight prevalence estimates by the major criteria were: 10.5% [95% CI: 7.1-14.3] by WHO, 9.5% [6.5-13.0] by IOTF and 11.5% [9.6-13.4] by CDC respectively and these differed significantly across criteria (p=0.0027). Obesity prevalence estimates for WHO, IOTF and CDC criteria were 6.1% [3.4-9.7], 4.0% [2.5-5.9] and 6.9% [5.0-9.0] with significance difference across criteria (p 0.128), major geographic regions (all p≥0.125) and varied less by publication year (p > 0.154), or study sample size (p>0.532). Substantial heterogeneities in the estimates across and within criteria were not always explained by major studies level characteristics. Artefactual publication bias was apparent across studies with WHO and IOTF criteria but not for CDC criterion. Interpretations: Overweight and obesity are common among primary school-going African children, particularly those attending urban schools and in private schools. Our results support the urgent need for intervention strategies, policies and programmes to address the lifestyle changes contributing to the growing excess weight in children in African settings. Funding Statement: There was no funding source for this study. The corresponding author had full access to all the data in the study and had final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.

Double burden or double counting of child malnutrition? The methodological and theoretical implications of stuntingoverweight in low and middle income countries

BackgroundThere is increasing concern at research and policy levels about the double burden of child malnutrition (DBCM)—with stunting and overweight found across different groups of children. Despite some case studies...

Updated prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in 4- to 10-year-old children in Germany. Results from the telephone-based KiGGS Wave 1 after correction for bias in parental reports.

The rates for overweight, including obesity, in Germany have levelled off. However, they still remain at a high level, indicating a need for further public health action. What is Known: • In the last decades, prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen. Now a days, the prevalence seems to be stagnating. • In Germany, prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity are only available from regional or non-representative studies. What is New: • This article gives an update for prevalence rates of overweight and obesity amongst children aged 4-10years in Germany based on a nationwide and representative sample. • Results show that stagnation in prevalence rates for overweight in children in Germany is reached.

Trends in prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults in 26 Brazilian state capitals and the Federal District from 2006 to 2012.

To describe the annual evolution of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the adult population of the 26 Brazilian state capitals and the Federal District from 2006 to 2012. Annual interviews (around 54,000 per year) from VIGITEL (Surveillance System of Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases through Telephone Interviews) were used. Self-reported weight and height were used to estimate body mass index and nutritional status. Prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity are presented according to gender, age and schooling and to each city. Linear regression model was used to evaluate the time trend of prevalence. Prevalence of overweight in adults in the 27 cities monitored by VIGITEL increased from 43.2% (2006) to 51.0% (2012), with an annual increase rate of 1.37%. Prevalence of obesity increased from 11.6% to 17.4%, with an annual increase rate of 0.89%. The study showed a statistically significant increase in the prevalence of overweight in all cities, and for both genders, all age groups and all levels of schooling. Similar trends were also verified for obesity. If the trends verified from 2006 to 2012 are maintained, in ten years, around two-thirds of the adults in Brazilian state capitals will be overweight, and a quarter will be obese. This perspective requests urgent response from government and intersectoral actions to combat the obesogenic environment.

Impact of instrument error on the estimated prevalence of overweight and obesity in population-based surveys.

BackgroundThe basis for this study is the fact that instrument error increases the variance of the distribution of body mass index (BMI). Combined with a defined cut-off value this may impact upon the estimated proportion of overweight and obesity. It is important to ensure high quality surveillance data in order to follow trends of estimated prevalence of overweight and obesity. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of instrument error, due to uncalibrated scales and stadiometers, on prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity.MethodsAnthropometric measurements from a nationally representative sample were used; the Norwegian Child Growth study (NCG) of 3474 children. Each of the 127 participating schools received a reference weight and a reference length to determine the correction value. Correction value corresponds to instrument error and is the difference between the true value and the measured, uncorrected weight and height at local scales and stadiometers. Simulations were used to determine the expected implications of instrument errors. To systematically investigate this, the coefficient of variation (CV) of instrument error was used in the simulations and was increased successively.ResultsSimulations showed that the estimated prevalence of overweight and obesity increased systematically with the size of instrument error when the mean instrument error was zero. The estimated prevalence was 16.4% with no instrument error and was, on average, overestimated by 0.5 percentage points based on observed variance of instrument error from the NCG-study. Further, the estimated prevalence was 16.7% with 1% CV of instrument error, and increased to 17.8%, 19.5% and 21.6% with 2%, 3% and 4% CV of instrument error, respectively.ConclusionsFailure to calibrate measuring instruments is likely to lead to overestimation of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in population-based surveys.

Prevalence, Trends and Associated Socio-Economic Factors of Obesity in South Asia

Aim: Worldwide obesity levels have increased unprecedentedly over the past couple of decades. Although the prevalence, trends and associated socio-economic factors of the condition have been extensively reported in Western populations, less is known regarding South Asian populations. Methods: A review of articles using Medline with combinations of the MeSH terms: ‘Obesity', ‘Overweight' and ‘Abdominal Obesity' limiting to epidemiology and South Asian countries. Results: Despite methodological heterogeneity and variation according to country, area of residence and gender , the most recent nationally representative and large regional data demonstrates that without any doubt there is a epidemic of obesity, overweight and abdominal obesity in South Asian countries. Prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity (based on Asian cut-offs: overweight ≥ 23 kg/m², obesity ≥ 25 kg/m²) ranged from 3.5% in rural Bangladesh to over 65% in the Maldives. Abdominal obesity was more prevalent than general obesity in both sexes in this ethnic group. Countries with the lowest prevalence had the highest upward trend of obesity. Socio-economic factors associated with greater obesity in the region included female gender, middle age, urban residence, higher educational and economic status. Conclusion: South Asia is significantly affected by the obesity epidemic. Collaborative public health interventions to reverse these trends need to be mindful of many socio-economic constraints in order to provide long-term solutions.

Sleep Duration and BMI in a Sample of Young Adults

We examined the association between sleep duration and BMI in young adults, and, specifically, in possible gender differences. The population-based sample included 955 young men and 1051 young women (mean age = 25.3 years, s.d. = 1.7) who participated in Project EAT-III (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults)-III. In 2008-2009, study participants completed a survey, on which they reported their weight, height, and typical bed and awakening times. Gender-specific regression models estimated cross-sectional associations between sleep duration and weight status, adjusting for age, race, SES, family structure, depressive symptoms, physical activity, and sedentary and dietary behaviors. In multivariable-adjusted linear regression models, an hour increase in sleep was associated with a -0.38 (-0.70, -0.048) BMI in men. Men who slept <7 h had a 1.4 unit higher mean BMI (27.9; 95% confidence interval (CI): 26.9, 28.9) than men who slept 7-9 h/day (26.5; 95% CI: 26.1, 27.0). Prevalence estimates of overweight (BMI ≥ 25) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30) were also inversely associated with sleep duration among men. Sleep duration was not associated with BMI, overweight, or obesity in women. Among women, but not men, there was a statistically significant positive association between trouble falling or staying asleep and mean BMI. Sleep may be an important modifiable risk factor for obesity, particularly in young adult men.

Obesity prevalence in adult residents of ile-ife, nigeria

Few data on obesity exist on Sub-Sahara population in Africa. This study investigated the prevalence of obesity and Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile and quartiles in accordance with sex and age in adult residents of the historic ancient semi-urban community of Ile-Ife, South-West, Nigeria. 2097 adults aged 21 years and above were recruited into the door-to-door survey through a multi-stage cluster sampling technique. The World Health Organization (WHO) criteria based on BMI was used in the definition of overweight and obesity. Height and weight were measured using standardized procedures. The mean age and BMI of the participants were 44.2 years and 24.2 Kg/m2 respectively. Although age-matched; the females had higher BMI values compared to males (23.8 vs. 24.5 Kg/m2). The overall crude prevalence of overweight (25.0-29.9 Kg/m2) and obesity (>30 Kg/m2) were 20.3% and 12.5% respectively. The rates of overweight (17.9 vs. 22.1 Kg/m2) and obesity (9.7 vs. 14.5 Kg/m2) were both higher in women than men. Obesity increased across age gradient from young to old adults; peaking in the 60-69-year age group. The first to fourth BMI quartiles were = 20.4 Kg/m2, 20.5-24.1 Kg/m2, 24.2-25.2 Kg/m2, = 25.3 Kg/ m2 respectively in the study population. At all ages; more females (32.4%) than males (24.7%) were placed within fourth BMI quartile. The 95th percentile BMI in the study population was 33.4 Kg/m2. Overweight and obesity are common in Nigerians, particular among females and elderly. The prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity in Nigerians is comparable with prevalence among Blacks in other populations.

Prevalence Estimates of Overweight in Head Start Preschoolers

This study estimates prevalence of overweight and at risk of overweight among low-income predominately non-Hispanic Black Head Start Mississippi preschoolers. A two-stage stratified probability design produced a representative sample of 1,250 preschoolers aged 3 to 5 years. Height, weight, age, gender, and race data were obtained. The prevalence of overweight (20.6%) and at risk of overweight (17.9%) combined was 38.5%. Moreover, highest rates were found in boys, non-Hispanic Blacks, and 5-year-olds. The prevalence of overweight in Mississippi Head Start children exceeds national averages, reinforcing the need for early-childhood health promotion and prevention.

Prevalence Estimates of Overweight and Obesity in Cree Preschool Children in Northern Quebec According to International and US Reference Criteria

We estimated the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Cree Canadian children aged 5 years (n=1044) using international and US growth references and examined the longitudinal tracking of weight categories between ages 2 and 5 years (n=562). Weight categories based on body mass index (calculated from measured heights and weights) were derived from the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) references. According to the IOTF reference, 52.9% of children were overweight (31.6%) or obese (21.3%) whereas with the CDC reference, 64.9% were overweight (27.5%) or obese (37.4%). The IOTF and CDC references provided dissimilar tracking of weight categories. Based on the IOTF reference, 4.9% of the children who were normal weight at age 2 years were obese at age 5 years. Based on the CDC reference, 14.9% of children categorized as normal weight at age 2 years were obese at age 5 years. The IOTF reference provided more conservative estimates of obesity than the CDC reference, and longitudinal analyses showed dissimilar tracking of weight categories with the 2 references. Public health responses to obesity prevalence estimates should be made with awareness of methodological limitations.

Trends in overweight and obesity and changes in the distribution of body mass index in schoolchildren of Jena, East Germany

Data of Jena children (Germany) show increases in the prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity between 1975 and 2001. Our objective was to determine if these increases contribute to changes in the distribution of body mass index (BMI) in the entire population of children. The decade 1985-1995, which includes the time of German reunification, is of particular interest because of the significant socio-economic changes in East Germany, in which Jena is located. The analyses were based on data from four cross-sectional growth studies in 7- to 14-year-old children performed in Jena, Germany, in 1975 (n=2013), 1985 (n=1534), 1995 (n=1906) and 2001 (n=1918). Overweight and obesity were estimated by German reference data and the reference of Cole et al. Mean difference plots were used to investigate the changes in the BMI distributions within sexes between the studies. Between 1985 and 1995, the prevalence of overweight and obesity increased significantly in both sexes, whereas nonsignificant changes were found between 1975 and 1985. Although there is a tendency towards increased overweight between 1995 and 2001, the differences were nonsignificant. Comparing data from 1975 and 1985, the mean difference plots showed virtually no changes in the BMI distribution. In the plots comparing the BMI distribution for 1985 data and 1995 data, the whole distribution tended to shift upwards with a greater shift in the upper BMI range. The entire population of children in Jena gained weight during this period of time. This increase may be linked to a transition towards a more Western lifestyle, that is, usually by lower energy expenditure and nutritional transitions, caused by the process of reunification of Germany in 1989. Weight gain appears to be a characteristic feature of the entire population studied and does not seem to be a separate problem of the obese children. This suggests that reported changes in the prevalence may be underestimating the looming public health crisis.

Overweight and obesity prevalence in children based on 6- or 12-month IOTF cut-points: does interval size matter?

The International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) recommends using age- and gender-specific body mass index (BMI) cut-points for defining the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children. These are given in both 6- and 12-month age intervals. Since the BMI-for-age curves are nonlinear, a degree of bias will be introduced when age intervals are wide. We aimed to quantify this bias in prevalence estimates in 2178 Australian children aged 4-12 years using 12- versus 6-month age intervals. Using the 12-month interval, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was underestimated by 1.4% compared to the 6-month interval estimates; however, this was age-dependent. It overestimated prevalence for 4-year olds, but underestimated it for older ages by up to 2.6%. Overweight prevalence was generally affected more than obesity prevalence. The use of different age intervals for IOTF cut-points introduces a small but systematic bias in prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity.

Prevalence of Overweight and Risk of Overweight Among 3- to 5-Year-Old Chicago Children, 2002-2003

This article reports the first estimates of overweight prevalence in Chicago children entering school (aged 3-5 years). Chicago data are compared with those from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS). Data were from 2 separate convenience samples of children aged 3-5 years attending either 18 Chicago Public Schools or 10 Chicago Catholic School pre-K programs (n = 1517). Data were taken from students' Certificate of Child Health Examination (CCHE), completed by a health professional. Overall, the prevalence of overweight subjects (body mass index >or=95th percentile) was 24%, more than twice that of the national prevalence of 10% for 2- to 5-year olds documented by NHANES (1999-2002) and 3 times that of the 1998-1999 ECLS prevalence estimate of 8% for 5- to 7-year olds in the Midwest region. The data reported here document that nearly one quarter of children entering school in Chicago are already overweight. This clearly establishes a need for local schools to develop protocols and procedures to support the physical and mental health needs of affected and at-risk children. The findings also make it plain that ongoing weight status monitoring is needed and that current plans to implement this should go forward.

A comparison of national estimates of obesity prevalence from the behavioral risk factor surveillance system and the national health and nutrition examination survey

Obesity interventions are implemented at state or sub-state level in the United States (US), where only self-reported weight and height data for adults are available from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity generated from self-reported weight and height from BRFSS are known to underestimate the true prevalence. However, whether this underestimation is consistent across different demographic groups has not been fully investigated. In this study, we compared the prevalence estimates of obesity (body mass index (BMI) > or =30 kg/m(2)) and overweight (BMI > or =25 kg/m(2)) in different demographic groups in the US from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and BRFSS during 1999-2000. We also compared the rank orders of the obesity and overweight prevalence across different demographic groups from the two data sources. Compared to NHANES, BRFSS underestimated the overall prevalence of obesity and overweight by 9.5 and 5.7 percentage points, respectively. The underestimation differed across different demographic groups: the underestimation of obesity and overweight prevalence was higher among women (13.1 and 12.2 percentage points, respectively) than among men (5.8 and -0.6 percentage points, respectively). The variation of underestimation was higher among men. A clear inverse association between educational attainment and obesity prevalence among non-Hispanic African American women was observed from BRFSS data. However, no such association was found from NHANES. While BRFSS can identify correctly the population with the highest obesity and overweight burden, it did not accurately rank the obesity and overweight prevalence across different demographic groups. Compared to NHANES, BRFSS disproportionately underestimates the prevalence of obesity and overweight across different gender, race, age, and education subgroups.

Results of blood pressure screening in a population of school-aged children in the province of Milan: role of overweight

To study the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) in an Italian paediatric population, and to verify whether in this population elevated BP values are associated with overweight (OW). Children (1206 males, 1210 females) from the lower-grade public schools (ages 6-11 years) were studied. Body weight, height and BP were measured in each child. Elevated BP was defined if resting systolic and/or diastolic BP values equalled or exceeded the 95th percentile according to gender, age and height, based on the US normative BP tables. Overweight children were identified using four different methods: (1) the classification based on the relative body weight; (2) the French references by Rolland-Cachera et al. (Am J Clin Nutr 1982; 36:178-184); (3) the International Obesity Task Force charts; and (4) the Italian charts defined by Cacciari et al. (Eur J Clin Nutr 2002; 56:171-180). The prevalence of high BP in our population was 4.2% and was significantly higher in females (65/1210 = 5.4%) than in males (37/1206 = 3.1%), P = 0.005. The different methods used to define OW provide different estimates of OW prevalence (from 17.0 to 38.6%). The percentage of high BP subjects was significantly higher in OW than in normal-weight children regardless of the method used for the definition of the weight class (P < 0.0001), in both genders. In addition, for each age range, absolute systolic and diastolic BP values were higher in OW as compared to normal-weight children both in males and in females (P < 0.0001). Our study indicates the importance of performing BP screenings in the paediatric population, and to promote interventions that may reduce the prevalence of OW in children.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents, and adults, 1999-2002.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased markedly in the last 2 decades in the United States. To update the US prevalence estimates of overweight in children and obesity in adults, using the most recent national data of height and weight measurements. As part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a complex multistage probability sample of the US noninstitutionalized civilian population, both height and weight measurements were obtained from 4115 adults and 4018 children in 1999-2000 and from 4390 adults and 4258 children in 2001-2002. Prevalence of overweight (body mass index [BMI] > or =95th percentile of the sex-specific BMI-for-age growth chart) among children and prevalence of overweight (BMI, 25.0-29.9), obesity (BMI > or =30.0), and extreme obesity (BMI > or =40.0) among adults by sex, age, and racial/ethnic group. Between 1999-2000 and 2001-2002, there were no significant changes among adults in the prevalence of overweight or obesity (64.5% vs 65.7%), obesity (30.5% vs 30.6%), or extreme obesity (4.7% vs 5.1%), or among children aged 6 through 19 years in the prevalence of at risk for overweight or overweight (29.9% vs 31.5%) or overweight (15.0% vs 16.5%). Overall, among adults aged at least 20 years in 1999-2002, 65.1% were overweight or obese, 30.4% were obese, and 4.9% were extremely obese. Among children aged 6 through 19 years in 1999-2002, 31.0% were at risk for overweight or overweight and 16.0% were overweight. The NHANES results indicate continuing disparities by sex and between racial/ethnic groups in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. There is no indication that the prevalence of obesity among adults and overweight among children is decreasing. The high levels of overweight among children and obesity among adults remain a major public health concern.

Effects of Age on Validity of Self-Reported Height, Weight, and Body Mass Index: Findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994

Objective To compare self-reported to measured heights and weights of adults examined in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), and to determine to what extent body mass index (BMI) calculated from self-reported heights and weights affects estimates of overweight prevalence compared with BMI calculated from measured values. Design A complex sample design was used in NHANES III to obtain a nationally representative sample of the US civilian, noninstitutionalized population. During household interviews, survey respondents were asked their height and weight. Trained health technicians subsequently measured height and weight using standardized procedures and equipment. Subjects The analytical sample consisted of 7,772 men and 8,801 women 20 years old and older. Statistical analyses performed Only persons with measured and self-reported heights and weights were included in the analysis, and statistical sampling weights were applied, t Tests, Pearson product moment correlation coefficients, sensitivity, and specificity analyses were used to determine the validity of self-reported measurements and prevalence estimates of overweight, defined as BMI of 25 or greater. Results Age is an important factor in classifying weight, height, BMI, and overweight from self-reports. Statistically significant differences were found for the mean error (measured-self-reported values) for height and BMI that were notably larger for older age groups. For example, the mean error for height ranged from 2.92 to 4.50 cm for women and from 3.06 to 4.29 cm for men, 70 years and older. Despite the high correlation between measured and self-reported data, the prevalence of overweight calculated from measured values was higher than that calculated from self-reported values among older adults. When calculated with self-reported height, BMI was one unit lower than when calculated from measured height for persons >70 years. Specificity was high but sensitivity decreased with increasing age cohorts. Regression equations are provided to determine actual height from self-reported values for older adults. Conclusion/Applications Self-reported heights and weights can be used with younger adults, but they have limitations for older adults, ages >60 years. In research studies and in clinical settings involving older adults, failure to measure height and weight can result in subsequent misclassification of overweight status. Therefore, registered dietitians are encouraged to obtained a measured weight and height using a calibrated scale and stadiometer. J Am DietAssoc. 2001;101:28-34.