ACCURACY OF SELF-REPORTED WEIGHT - COVARIATION WITH BINGER OR RESTRAINER STATUS AND EATING DISORDER SYMPTOMATOLOGY

Studies indicate that women's self-reported and actual weights correla te above .90 but that approximately one-third of women under-report th eir weight by more than 5 lb. Overweight women under-report to a great er degree than women of normal weight. The present study replicated th ese findings and extended them to women showing eating disorder-relate d behaviors, including regular binging and dietary restraint. Reportin g accuracy was also covaried with eating disorder tendencies as measur ed on a continuum in the general population. Despite high statistical power, results revealed no correlation between under-reporting and eit her Bulimia Test scores of Eating Attitudes Test scores and found no d ifferences in reporting accuracy as a function of binger status or res trained eater status. Women manifesting eating disorder-relating behav iors were neither more nor less accurate than were normals. Potential sources of error in measuring weight and in evaluating self-report are presented and discussed.