The accuracy of self-reported height, weight and BMI in a sample of emerging adult college students across California: an observational study

Self-reported height and weight are pragmatic, lower-cost alternatives for objective measurements but are potentially less accurate than examiner-recorded assessments. In this study, we compared self-reported and objectively measured height and weight for 603 college students ages 18 to 24 years in California, USA. Relative to objective measurements, participants, on average, overreported their height by 1.53 cm and underreported their weight by 0.77 kg, leading to an average body mass index underestimation of 0.73 kg/m2. These results may inform bias-correction approaches in future studies that lack the resources for in-person objective measurements. Project Citation: Yalif, I.U., Hoyt, L.T., Calderón, L., Bidopia T., Burke N.L., Chaffee B.W., Gamba R., Atherwood S., Bae J., Cohen A.K. The accuracy of self-reported height, weight and BMI in a sample of emerging adult college students across California: an observational study. BMC Med Res Methodol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-025-02745-5.