Accuracy of recall by middle-aged participants in a longitudinal study of their body size and indices of maturation earlier in life

Abstract

The validity of long-term recall and current assessments of height, weight, and fatness relative to peers was investigated among 91 middle-aged participants in a longitudinal growth study. The recollections of 50-year-old participants concerning perceived body size in comparison to peers during childhood (aged 5–7 years), adolescence (aged 10–18 years), and at ages 30, and 40 years were compared with physical measurements taken at these times. Correlations between perceived and actual body size at all ages from childhood through middle-age were moderate but significant (Pr = 0.67; PPPr = 0,67 (PPPr = 0,67 (PP<0,0001).