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Objective: The objective is to present the findings of the relationship between BMI (Body Mass Index), calculated using self-reported height and weight and self-selected body shape (SSBS).
Methods: 403 participants were surveyed during the 2009 African American Conference on Diabetes (AACD). Weight, height, and SSBS (measured on the Stunkard scale) were self-reported and grouped into overweight (BMI<25; SSBS<6) and not overweight (BMI³25; SSBS³6). Descriptive and Chi-square statistics were computed using SAS 9.1. Tests are significant at the .05 level.
Results: Most participants were African American females; the mean age and weight were 62 years (stdDev. =12) and 193 lbs. (stdDev. =43) respectively. Approximately 72% of responders have hypertension and 59% have diabetes. Eighty-one percent have an overweight BMI. The most frequent SSBS were normal weight body shapes and 53% of those reporting showed a disagreement between their SSBS and their calculated BMI; this was statistically significant.
Conclusion:: A gross proportion of this sample perceives their body shape differently from their BMI and is perhaps underestimating their risk for diabetes and other negative health outcomes. Forty-nine percent of this sample identified their body shape as not overweight when their BMI classifies them as overweight. This analysis emphasizes the need for increased risk factor awareness in these populations to lessen disease burden.