This paper discusses methodological concerns of using silhouette figures to measure body images. These include concerns related to scale coarseness (limiting response options to one of a finite number of drawings), restriction of range, method of presentation, and scale of measurement. Recommendations are made to address these limitations, and an alternative silhouette scale using continuous scale measurements is proposed.
This study reports the development and validation of two new and improved tools for assessment of body-image. Two schematic contour scales were created using a frontal view photograph of an adult male and female with height and weight of the median American. A 2-figure analogue scale was created by distorting this drawing by +/- 30%. A 13-card scale was created by generating 13 drawings distorted between +/- 30% by increments of 5%. Evidence is presented for the reliability and validity of both scales. The advantages of these new scales over existing figural and silhouette scales are discussed.
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