We note that the correlation between the measured height-for-age Z-score at 36 months and our indicator of height-for-age Z-score at 72 months is 0.97, so the use of 36 rather than 72 months does not change our basic results.
Metrics developed from lidar that were indicators of height of canopy were not significant in estimating plot biomass (p-value = 0.31, r2 = 0.17), but parameters from our synthetic forest model were found to be significant for estimating many of the forest structural properties, such as mean trunk diameter (p-value = 0.004, r2 = 0.51) and tree density (p-value = 0.002, r2 = 0.43).
Previous studies investigating the accuracy of self-reported vs measured height have shown that self-reported height is a good indicator of measured height (Spencer et al, 2002; Brunner, 2007).
Besides these methods, the long bone length is often considered the best indicator of stature, and knee height has been validated for stature evaluation using the Chumlea method [29] in large cohorts of mobility-impaired and bed-ridden elderly patients, close to a standard ICU population [40].
We used the national elevation data (NED) to represent the ground surface elevation and used the difference between SRTM and NED as an indicator of forest height.
A significant but modest improvement was found for BMI as objective indicator of weight-height relation, but this was not correlated with an improvement in satisfaction with eating.
The only other covariate included in models was a binary indicator of source of height measurement (questionnaire versus measured by ALSPAC clinic staff or health visitors).
We also found associations with self-reported indicators of childhood height and weight among blacks but not among whites.
Additionally, we asked for respondents' ages (e.g., under 25, 25-34, 35-44), marital status, educational attainments as an indicator of socioeconomic status, heights, weights, and ethnic backgrounds.
However, it has been indicated that only using BMI data results in an underestimation of health risk, as BMI is an indicator of excess weight relative to height and does not indicate body fat distribution [ 7].
