REMOTE RECALL OF CHILDHOOD HEIGHT, WEIGHT, AND BODY BUILD BY ELDERLY SUBJECTS

The long-term recall of height, weight, and body build was examined as part of a 1988 follow-up of the Boston-based Third Harvard Growth Stu dy (1922-1935). By design, approximately 50 percent of subjects had bo dy mass indices during adolescence of greater than the 75th percentile , and approximately 50 percent of subjects had body mass indices betwe en the 25th and 50th percentiles. Interviewed subjects, aged 71-76 yea rs (n = 181) were asked to recall their high school height and weight and to select outline drawings that best reflected their body size at ages 5, 10, 15, and 20 years. Reports at ages 71-76 years were compare d with measurements obtained during childhood and adolescence. High sc hool weight was overestimated by men who were lean as adolescents (mea n recalled minus measured difference = 2.5 kg, 95 percent confidence i nterval 0.78-4.3) and underestimated by women who were obese as adoles cents (mean difference = -2.3 kg, 95 percent confidence interval -4.8 to 0.21). Pearson crude correlations between recalled body build and b ody mass index measured at approximately the same ages were between 0. 53 and 0.75 for all ages studied except for a correlation of 0.36 amon g males at age 5 years. Adjustment for current body mass index only sl ightly reduced the correlations between adolescent body mass index and recalled build. Adolescent obesity classifications based on indicator s derived from recalled weight and build had moderate sensitivities (3 7-57 percent) and high specificities (98-100 percent). These results i ndicate that the remote recall of height, weight, and body size can co ntribute useful information independent of current weight status.