Huybrechts Inge, De Bacquer Dirk, Van Trimpont Inge, De Backer Guy, De Henauw Stefaan
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, UZ-2 Blok A, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
Pediatrics. 2006 Nov;118(5):2109-18. doi: 10.1542/peds.2006-0961.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of parentally reported weight and height values for preschool-aged children (3-7 years of age) in Belgium and the accuracy of BMI classifications using those data.
The subjects were 297 preschool-aged children (157 boys and 140 girls). A questionnaire with questions about height and weight was distributed to the children and completed by their parents. Nurses of the Centres for Pupils Counselling conducted anthropometric measurements by following standardized procedures. National and international age- and gender-specific BMI cutoff values were used to determine BMI categories.
Mean differences between reported and measured values for weight (-0.57 kg) and BMI (-0.51 kg/m2) were statistically significant, although small. For height, the mean difference (0.14 cm) was not statistically significant. When national and international BMI cutoff values for overweight were used, sensitivity values were 47% and 44%, respectively, and specificity values were 94% and 95%. Among all children requiring nutritional advice on the basis of being overweight or obese, more than one half of the overweight children and >75% of the obese children would be missed with the use of parentally reported weight and height values. Conversely, 70% of the children being classified as underweight with the use of these reported data could be encouraged wrongly to gain weight. The bias of parent-reported BMI values was significantly greater when weight and height were both guessed, rather than being measured at home.
Our results show the inaccuracy of parentally reported weight and height values in Belgium for classifying preschool-aged children into BMI categories. Therefore, accurate measurements of weight and height should be encouraged in studies in which BMI of children is a variable of interest.
本研究旨在评估比利时父母报告的学龄前儿童（3至7岁）体重和身高值的有效性，以及使用这些数据进行BMI分类的准确性。
研究对象为297名学龄前儿童（157名男孩和140名女孩）。向孩子们发放了一份关于身高和体重的问卷，由他们的父母填写。学生咨询中心的护士按照标准化程序进行人体测量。使用国家和国际年龄及性别特异性BMI临界值来确定BMI类别。
报告值与测量值之间的体重平均差异（-0.57千克）和BMI平均差异（-0.51千克/平方米）虽小，但具有统计学意义。对于身高，平均差异（0.14厘米）无统计学意义。当使用国家和国际超重BMI临界值时，敏感性值分别为47%和44%，特异性值分别为94%和95%。在所有因超重或肥胖而需要营养建议的儿童中，使用父母报告的体重和身高值会遗漏超过一半的超重儿童和超过75%的肥胖儿童。相反，使用这些报告数据被归类为体重过轻的儿童中，有70%可能会被错误地鼓励增加体重。当体重和身高都是猜测而非在家测量时，父母报告的BMI值偏差显著更大。
我们的结果表明，在比利时，父母报告的体重和身高值在将学龄前儿童分类为BMI类别方面不准确。因此，在以儿童BMI为研究变量的研究中，应鼓励准确测量体重和身高。
