30th Annual Student Research Conference
Differences between perceived body size and fatness and actual body size and fatness in college men and women
Ashton D. Austin
Prof. Liz Jorn, Prof. Jana Arabas, Ms. Amanda Starks , and Dr. Jerry Mayhew, Faculty Mentors
Height and body weight are two widely used anthropometric measurements but do patients accurately report this information to health-care providers? Self-reported anthropometric data are convenient and inexpensive, but college students may be unaware of their current data. Previous research has shown that college students may not accurately estimate their height and weight. The purpose of this study was to compare the differences between perceived and measured height and weight in college men and women. Students (7 M and 13 F) in a required health class estimated their height and weight before being measured for both. Men overestimated their weight by 2.1% while women overestimated by 1.2%. Both sexes accurately estimate their height within <1%. The differences would have caused BMI to be overestimated by 1.9% in women but underestimated by 2.7% in men. Discrepancies between predicted and actual body size could have implications for health risk categories.
Keywords: Height and body weight, Self-reported anthropometric data, Compare the differences, Perceived and measured, College men and women
Topic(s):Exercise Science
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 9-
Location: GEO - SUB
Time: