Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 21, 2026
Clinical Anthropometrics and Body Composition from 3-Dimensional Optical Imaging
Published on: June 7, 2024
Validity of the body mass index silhouette matching test
Michael Peterson1, Elizabeth Orsega-Smith, Linda Tholstrup
1023 Carpenter Sports Building, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA. pmpeter@udel.edu
Objective:
To determine the construct validity and utility of the Body Mass Index Silhouette Matching Test (BMI-SMT).
Methods:
One-hundred-seventy undergraduate students at a mid-Atlantic university completed the BMI-SMT, the Gardner 2-figure Silhouette Matching Test and were measured for height and weight.
Results:
Validity coefficients using Pearson r correlations ranged from 0.69 to 0.84 for comparisons between BMI values for the BMI-SMT, and the GSMT and actual BMI measures. Coefficients for weight values produced r-values ranging from 0.59 to 0.84. Analysis of the BMI-SMT ability to accurately assess weight classification indicated a tendency toward overestimation.
Conclusion:
The BMI-SMT is a valid measure of body image perceptions and estimates of weight and BMI.
