ArticleBMJ open2013
Representativeness and optimal use of body mass index (BMI) in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD).
Article in BMJ open, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 101 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
101 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Weight loss as a predictor of cancer in primary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2018Pooled it
- Epidemiology of adult overweight recording and management by UK GPs: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2017Pooled it
- Acceptability and feasibility of a planned preconception weight loss intervention in women with long-acting reversible contraception: the Plan-it mixed-methods study.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2023Trial
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- Generalizing Randomized Clinical Trial Results: Implementation and Challenges Related to Missing Data in the Target Population.American journal of epidemiology · 2018 · on this mapTrial
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- Achieving at Least 15% Weight Loss Within 2 Years of Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis Is Associated With Lower Risks of Macrovascular and Microvascular Complications: A U.K. Cohort Study.Diabetes care · 2026Article
- Trends, disparities, and pregnancy outcomes of gestational diabetes mellitus in North West London: A nine-year population-based cohort study.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Longitudinal associations between BMI changes and musculoskeletal pain in older European males and females.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Article
- Primary care use among adults with eating disorders in England: a population-based cohort study using electronic health records.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Real-world obesity prevalence and history in 79 271 patients receiving systemic anticancer therapy across 13 cancer types in England (2013-2023).ESMO real world data and digital oncology · 2026Article
- A computational phenotype for difficult-to-treat asthma with corticosteroid overuse using electronic health care records.The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. Global · 2026Article
- Management of older adults consulting in GP surgery practices with back pain in UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum: population based study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Socioeconomic inequality and modifiable cardiovascular risk factor clusters among consulters with and without osteoarthritis in England.BMC public health · 2025Article
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- Comparative effectiveness of alternative second-line oral glucose-lowering therapies for type 2 diabetes: a precision medicine approach applied to routine data.Diabetologia · 2025Article
- Impact of COVID-19 infection on social care use in people over 50 years of age: a matched cohort study in North-West London.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Inflammatory diseases and risk of lung cancer among individuals who have never smoked.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Epidemiology and yearly trend of obesity and overweight in primary care in Italy.Internal and emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Psoriasis and dementia: A population-based matched cohort study of adults in England.Annals of clinical and translational neurology · 2025Article
41 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo assess the completeness and representativeness of body mass index (BMI) data in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), and determine an optimal strategy for their use.
designDescriptive study.
settingElectronic healthcare records from primary care.
participantsA million patient random sample from the UK CPRD primary care database, aged ≥16 years. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: BMI completeness in CPRD was evaluated by age, sex and calendar period. CPRD-based summary BMI statistics for each calendar year (2003-2010) were age-standardised and sex-standardised and compared with equivalent statistics from the Health Survey for England (HSE).
resultsBMI completeness increased over calendar time from 37% in 1990-1994 to 77% in 2005-2011, was higher among females and increased with age. When BMI at specific time points was assigned based on the most recent record, calendar-year-specific mean BMI statistics underestimated equivalent HSE statistics by 0.75-1.1 kg/m(2). Restriction to those with a recent (≤3 years) BMI resulted in mean BMI estimates closer to HSE (≤0.28 kg/m(2) underestimation), but excluded up to 47% of patients. An alternative strategy of imputing up-to-date BMI based on modelled changes in BMI over time since the last available record also led to mean BMI estimates that were close to HSE (≤0.37 kg/m(2) underestimation).
conclusionsCompleteness of BMI in CPRD increased over time and varied by age and sex. At a given point in time, a large proportion of the most recent BMIs are unlikely to reflect current BMI; consequent BMI misclassification might be reduced by employing model-based imputation of current BMI.
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