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Agreement between self-reported birth weight and birth certificate weights

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 January 2010

D. J. Jaworowicz Jr ,
J. Nie ,
M. R. Bonner ,
D. Han ,
D. Vito ,
A. Hutson ,
N. Potischman ,
M. Trevisan ,
P. Muti  and
J. L. Freudenheim
D. J. Jaworowicz Jr*
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
J. Nie
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
M. R. Bonner
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
D. Han
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
D. Vito
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
A. Hutson
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
N. Potischman
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
M. Trevisan
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
P. Muti
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
J. L. Freudenheim
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
*
Address for correspondence: D. J. Jaworowicz Jr, M.S., SUNY at Buffalo, 178 Farber Hall, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA. (Email [email protected])
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Abstract

Birth weight is emerging as a potentially important risk factor for several chronic diseases with adult onset, including breast cancer. Because participant recall is frequently used to gather data on early life exposures, it is essential that the accuracy of recall be assessed and validated. Self-reported birth weights and birth certificate weights were compared in women aged 35–51 years from the Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer (WEB) Study, a population-based case–control study. A total of 180 participants had both birth certificate and interview data on birth weight. Participants reported birth weight to one of six categories (<5, 5–5.5, 5.6–7, 7.1–8.5, 8.6–10 and >10 lbs). The Spearman correlation for self-reported and birth certificate weights was 0.67. Sixty percent of participants reported weights with exact agreement with birth certificate; unweighted and weighted kappas (κ) were 0.39 and 0.68, respectively. Spearman correlations were similar for cases (0.67) and controls (0.68). Controls exhibited a significantly higher unweighted κ (0.51) than cases (0.27; P = 0.03), but weighted κ were not statistically different [controls, 0.73; cases, 0.64 (P = 0.32)]. Demographic and anthropometric characteristics were not different between participants who underreported, overreported, or correctly reported their birth weight for either cases or controls. Overall, the level of agreement for report of birth weight and actual birth weight was fair to moderate.

Keywords

agreement, birth weight, breast neoplasm, female, newborn
Type
Original Article
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , April 2010 , pp. 106 - 113
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 2010

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