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Is BMI a Valid Indicator of Overweight and Obesity for Adolescents?

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  • Viktoryia Karchynskaya

    (Department of Health Psychology and Research Methodology, Faculty of Medicine, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia
    Graduate School Kosice Institute for Society & Health, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia
    Department of Community & Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713AV Groningen, The Netherlands)

  • Jaroslava Kopcakova

    (Department of Health Psychology and Research Methodology, Faculty of Medicine, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia
    Graduate School Kosice Institute for Society & Health, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia
    Department of Community & Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713AV Groningen, The Netherlands)

  • Daniel Klein

    (Institute of Mathematics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia)

  • Aleš Gába

    (Department of Natural Sciences in Kinanthropology, Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacky University in Olomouc, 771 11 Olomouc, Czech Republic)

  • Andrea Madarasova-Geckova

    (Department of Health Psychology and Research Methodology, Faculty of Medicine, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia
    Graduate School Kosice Institute for Society & Health, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia
    Department of Community & Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713AV Groningen, The Netherlands
    Olomouc University Social Health Institute, Palacky University in Olomouc, 771 11 Olomouc, Czech Republic)

  • Jitse P. van Dijk

    (Graduate School Kosice Institute for Society & Health, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia
    Department of Community & Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713AV Groningen, The Netherlands
    Olomouc University Social Health Institute, Palacky University in Olomouc, 771 11 Olomouc, Czech Republic)

  • Andrea F. de Winter

    (Department of Community & Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713AV Groningen, The Netherlands)

  • Sijmen A. Reijneveld

    (Department of Community & Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713AV Groningen, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Background : Overweight and obesity are mostly monitored via the Body Mass Index (BMI), based on self-reported or measured height and weight. Previous studies have shown that BMI as a measure of obesity can introduce important misclassification problems. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of overweight and obesity classification based on self-reported and on measured height and weight versus the proportion of body fat as the criterion. Methods : We used data on 782 adolescents (mean age = 13.5, 55.8% boys) from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study conducted in 2018 in Slovakia. We obtained self-reported (height and weight) and objective measures (height, weight) and the proportion of fat (as the criterion measure) measured via bioimpedance body composition analysis (BIA) with an InBody 230 from the adolescents. Results : Both measured and self-reported BMI indicated overweight and obesity with relatively low sensitivity (66–82%), but high specificity (90–92%). The superior accuracy of measured BMI in comparison to self-reported BMI was confirmed by the area under the curve (AUC) based on the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves (AUC measured/self-reported: 0.94/0.89; p < 0.001). The misclassification of overweight and obesity was significantly higher when using self-reported BMI than when using measured BMI. Conclusion : Both self-reported and measured BMI as indicators of overweight and obesity underestimate the prevalence of adolescents with overweight and obesity.

Suggested Citation

  • Viktoryia Karchynskaya & Jaroslava Kopcakova & Daniel Klein & Aleš Gába & Andrea Madarasova-Geckova & Jitse P. van Dijk & Andrea F. de Winter & Sijmen A. Reijneveld, 2020. "Is BMI a Valid Indicator of Overweight and Obesity for Adolescents?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-10, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:13:p:4815-:d:380288
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    1. Williams, D.P. & Going, S.B. & Lohman, T.G. & Harsha, D.W. & Srinivasan, S.R. & Webber, L.S. & Berenson, G.S., 1992. "Body fatness and risk for elevated blood pressure, total cholesterol, and serum lipoprotein ratios in children and adolescents," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 82(3), pages 358-363.
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    2. Piotr Wieniawski & Bożena Werner, 2021. "Epidemiology of Obesity and Hypertension in School Adolescents Aged 15–17 from the Region of Central Poland—A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-15, March.
    3. Corinna Koebnick & Brit Saksvig & Xia Li & Margo Sidell & Tong Tong Wu & Deborah R. Young, 2020. "The Accuracy of Self-Reported Body Weight Is High but Dependent on Recent Weight Change and Negative Affect in Teenage Girls," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-12, November.
    4. Juliana Melo & Ana Isabel Ribeiro & Susana Aznar & Andreia Pizarro & Maria Paula Santos, 2021. "Urban Green Spaces, Greenness Exposure and Species Richness in Residential Environments and Relations with Physical Activity and BMI in Portuguese Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-14, June.
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