Klipstein-Grobusch K, Georg T, Boeing H
German Institute of Human Nutrition, Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany.
Int J Epidemiol. 1997;26 Suppl 1:S174-80. doi: 10.1093/ije/26.suppl_1.s174.
The extent of intra- and inter-interviewer variability both in anthropometric measurements and in estimates of body composition was assessed and the possibility of systematic variation due to interviewer differences investigated.
Seventeen interviewers trained in the anthropometric measurement technique and 10 healthy volunteers (4 men, 6 women) participated in the study on measurement variability. To ensure participation of all interviewers the study was carried out on three different days. On each of these days interviewers got randomly allocated to the subjects being present. Each interviewer took 12 measurements--body weight, body height, sitting height, circumferences of waist, hip, and midarm, skinfolds (biceps, triceps, subscapular, and suprailiac), chest breath and depth--per subject on two occasions. From these measurements, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, percentage of body fat, fat mass, fat free mass and metric index were determined. For all anthropometric variables variance components, reliability coefficients (R) and coefficients of variation (CV) were estimated and systematic differences of measurements between interviewers were assessed.
Measurement reliability in basic anthropometric measures expressed as variance components, reliability coefficients and coefficients of variation was influenced to a greater extent by inter-interviewer variability (R: 0.858-0.999; CV: 0.1-20.9) than intra-interviewer variability (R: 0.979-0.999; CV: 0.0-6.4). The respective estimates of body composition exhibited comparatively higher reliability (Rinter: 0.975-0.999; Rintra: 0.995-0.999). Measurements more prone to subjectivity, e.g. skinfolds showed lower reliability (CVinter: 9.3-20.9; CVintra: 3.6-6.4). Although the absolute variation in measures due to interviewers was small, systematic differences among interviewers were clearly evident in all measurements and estimates except sitting height in this group of subjects.
Anthropometric measures and estimates of body composition obtained in the current study show the feasibility of detailed anthropometric data collection by multiple interviewers in large-scale epidemiological studies.
评估访谈者内部和访谈者之间在人体测量以及身体成分估计方面的变异性程度，并调查因访谈者差异导致系统变异的可能性。
17名接受过人体测量技术培训的访谈者和10名健康志愿者（4名男性，6名女性）参与了测量变异性研究。为确保所有访谈者都能参与，研究在三天内进行。在这三天中的每一天，访谈者被随机分配给在场的受试者。每位访谈者对每位受试者进行两次测量，每次测量12项指标——体重、身高、坐高、腰围、臀围、上臂围、皮褶厚度（肱二头肌、肱三头肌、肩胛下和髂嵴上）、胸围和胸深。根据这些测量结果，计算体重指数、腰臀比、体脂百分比、脂肪量、去脂体重和米制指数。对所有人体测量变量估计方差成分、可靠性系数（R）和变异系数（CV），并评估访谈者之间测量的系统差异。
以方差成分、可靠性系数和变异系数表示的基本人体测量指标的测量可靠性，受访谈者间变异性的影响程度（R：0.858 - 0.999；CV：0.1 - 20.9）大于访谈者内变异性（R：0.979 - 0.999；CV：0.0 - 6.4）。身体成分的相应估计显示出相对较高的可靠性（访谈者间：R = 0.975 - 0.999；访谈者内：R = 0.995 - 0.999）。更易受主观因素影响的测量，如皮褶厚度，显示出较低的可靠性（访谈者间CV：9.3 - 20.9；访谈者内CV：3.6 - 6.4）。尽管因访谈者导致的测量绝对差异较小，但在该组受试者中，除坐高外，所有测量和估计中访谈者之间的系统差异都明显存在。
本研究中获得的人体测量指标和身体成分估计结果表明，在大规模流行病学研究中，由多名访谈者收集详细人体测量数据是可行的。
