Proposed obesity body mass index correction for self-reported data may not be appropriate

摘要

The study published by Dauphinot et al in the February issue of the Journal of Epidemiologv and Community Health compared self-reported and measured body mass index (BMI) in a sample of the general population of Geneva (Switzerland) and a smaller French sample. In order to account for underestimation of BMI arising from self-reports, the authors proposed a universal cut-off of 29.2 kgv' instead of 30 kg/m for the definition of obesity. In a previous study, we compared the obesity prevalence based on measured and self-reported BMI in 10 population-based studies carried out in Switzerland between 1977 and 2003 (N = 54 315).