 
Study: Americans Lie About
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A recently published study by researchers at the School of Allied Health Professions reveals that Americans are lying about their height, claiming to be taller. Previous research has shown that people also lie about their weight, leading experts to wonder if Americans are more obese than previously suspected and reported. Dr. William D. Hart, professor of nutrition and dietetics, said that people in every age category, male and female, claimed to be taller than their actual height. Hart, working with Dr. Terry Tomazic, examined data sets of males and females in the U.S. population. All of the data was collected using "self-reporting" measures. That is, a researcher would call and ask a person to report his or her own height and weight. The figures were then compiled into a large data set to gauge Americans' rate of obesity.
The over-reporting of height, as well as the under-reporting of weight, was confirmed by researchers who compared the self-reported figures to a different data collection method called the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The NHANES method did not rely on self-reporting. Instead, people were weighed on a scale and measured with a ruler.
The significance of the findings is most relevant for researchers trying to evaluate nutritional and health risks of large-scale assessments in groups of people. One of the most popular assessments is the measure of obesity. Researchers rely on self-reported figures because they are easier to gather, less labor intensive and less costly.
"The NHANES allowed us to compare the two data sets side by side," Hart said. "The results of over-stating one's height call into question the interpretation of previous studies that are based on self-reporting height and weight. To me, it is a warning sign that self-reporting data are not as accurate as they could be. Researchers should be a little more cautious when it comes to their interpretation of obesity and other risk factors based on height and weight."
Hart broke the data into subsets of male and female and in increments of five years. The propensity to add a little height and take away a little weight was evident regardless of gender and regardless of age.
"Every age category, from the 20-to-24 group to the 80-to-84 group, claimed to be taller than they actually were, to some extent," Hart said.
Why people overstated height is more complex. Hart believes that one reason may be the belief in Western culture that height is a good thing. Being taller may equate with being stronger and more fit.
"Some studies have actually suggested that taller males get the girl more often," he said. "I think people are stating their height as they would like it to be. It is their ideal, even if it isn't necessarily so."
The findings are published in the American Statistical Association Proceedings, June 2000.
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