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Improving the Accuracy of Self-Reports on Diet and Physical Exercise: The Co-Twin Control Method

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Leonie H. Bogl*
Affiliation:
The Finnish Twin Cohort Study, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland. [email protected]
Kirsi H. Pietiläinen
Affiliation:
The Finnish Twin Cohort Study, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland; Obesity Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland; Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland.
Aila Rissanen
Affiliation:
Obesity Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland.
Jaakko Kaprio
Affiliation:
The Finnish Twin Cohort Study, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland; Institute for Molecular Medicine, Helsinki, Finland.
*
*Address for correspondence: Leonie-Helen Bogl, Department of Public Health, PO Box 41, Mannerheimintie 172, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland.

Abstract

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The objective was to examine the association between several obesity-related nongenetic behaviors and body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in young adult twins using reports from both twins on their similarities and differences. A total of 713 monozygotic (MZ) and 698 same-sex dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs aged 22–28 years filled in structured questionnaires to compare their eating, physical activity and dieting behavior with their co-twin's behavior, and to report their own eating and exercise habits. In both MZ and DZ pairs, the co-twins for whom both twin pair members concordantly answered that this twin eats more, snacks more, eats more fatty foods and sweet and fatty delicacies, chooses less healthy foods, eats faster and exercises less, had significantly higher BMIs (0.6–2.9 kg/m2) and WCs (1.5–7.5 cm). Multivariate regression analysis identified co-twin differences in the amount of food consumed as the strongest independent predictor of intrapair differences in BMI (β = 0.63 and 1.21, for MZ and DZ, respectively, p < .001) and WC (β = 1.52 and 3.53, for MZ and DZ, respectively, p < .001). Higher leisure-time physical activity and healthier dietary choices clustered in the same subjects. The measurement of habitual dietary intake and physical activity has previously relied on subjective self-reports that are prone to misreporting. By using comparative measures within twin pairs we found that the amount of food consumed is the major contributor to obesity independent of genetic predisposition.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009