The use of the Body Mass Index (BMI) based on self-reported height and weight in epidemiologic studies remains controversial, both because it is an imperfect measure of a person's percentage of body fat [1] and because self-reported height and weight are subject to substantial measurement error [2]. However, BMI measures calculated from data obtained through interviews continue to be used as a common tool because of the relative ease and efficiency in gathering such information. Thus, it remains important to assess the extent of error present in BMI measures that are based on self-reported height and weight (self-reported BMI) compared with BMI measures based on physical measurement of height and weight (measured BMI) and to understand the limitations of using the self-reported measures.
