ESTIMATES OF THE HEIGHTS AND WEIGHTS OF FAMILY MEMBERS - ACCURACY OF INFORMANT REPORTS

OBJECTIVE: Information about the accuracy of family informant estimate s of height and weight should assist investigators in evaluating the c osts and benefits of using this type of data in genetic study designs. DESIGN AND METHOD: To assess the accuracy of family informant estimat es, 374 first-degree relatives from 94 Caucasian families, gave estima tes about the heights and weights of their first degree relatives. The se estimates were compared with measured heights and weights to determ ine their accuracy. RESULTS: informant estimates were highly predictiv e of measured heights (r = 0.95), and weights (r = 0.94), but informan ts systematically overestimated heights (mean = 1.4 cm) and underestim ated weights of their family members (mean = 4.1 kg). CONCLUSIONS: On average, height estimates were generally within 1% of the measured hei ght and weight estimates were within 3-5% of the measured weight. Ther efore. these proxy measures can provide useful data, when measured or self-reported heights and weights are not available.