and weight underestimated BMI values based on measured height and weight --- a tendency that increased with age [7]. However in one study [8], it was reported that Mexican American adults tend to underestimate their weight less than non-Hispanic white adults. A similar pattern also seems to hold for non-Hispanic African American adults, for whom BMI values computed from self-reported height and weight seem to produce smaller underestimates of their measured BMIs than among non-Hispanic whites [6,8]. Conversely, compared to non-Hispanic African American and Hispanic women, non-Hispanic white women are more prone to underestimate their weight [4], which may reflect different sensitivities about being overweight [9]. Marital status and income also appear to influence a survey participants' responses to height and weight questions, with single/never married as well as divorced persons more likely to underreport weight, and high income respondents reporting their weight and height more accurately [8,10]. Finally, there is strong evidence that the actual BMI itself is a predictor of the error in BMI measures based on self-reported height and weight, with underestimates of BMI becoming larger for respondents with higher-end weight and BMI values [11-13].
