A study of the validity and reliability of the Brazilian version of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) among adolescents

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: to produce evidence of the validity and reliability of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) - a tool for measuring an individual's attitude towards his or her body image. METHODS: the study covered 386 young people of both sexes aged between 10 and 18 from a private school and used self-applied questionnaires and anthropometric evaluation. It evaluated the internal consistency, the discriminant validity for differences from the means, according to nutritional status (underweight, eutrophic, overweight and obese), the concurrent validity by way of Spearman's correlation coefficient between the scale and the Body Mass Index (BMI), the waist-hip circumference ratio (WHR) and the waist circumference (WC). Reliability was tested using Wilcoxon's Test, the intraclass correlation coefficient and the Bland-Altman figures. RESULTS: the BSQ displayed good internal consistency (±=0.96) and was capable of discriminating among the total population, boys and girls, according to nutritional status (p<0.001). It correlated with the BMI (r=0.41; p<0.001), WHR (r=-0.10; p=0.043) and WC (r=0.24; p<0.001) and its reliability was confirmed by intraclass correlation (r=0.91; p<0.001) for the total population. The questionnaire was easy to understand and could be completed quickly. CONCLUSIONS: the BSQ presented good results, thereby providing evidence of its validity and reliability. It is therefore recommended for evaluation of body image attitudes among adolescents.

Influence of Psychological, Anthropometric and Sociodemographic Factors on the Symptoms of Eating Disorders in Young Athletes

“…Accordingly, having a score that is greater than or equal to 80 subjects' scores indicates dissatisfaction with one's weight and body appearance. Conti et al (2009) validated the version of this questionnaire used in the current study with Brazilian adolescents. An internal consistency analysis revealed alphas of .96 for both sexes, and the mean correlation coefficients between the test-retest reliability scores ranged from .89 to .91 for females and males, respectively.…”

“…According to Conti, Frutuoso and Gambardella (2005), dissatisfaction with body image is a primary factor. Another factor is a preoccupation with weight and physical appearance (Carvalho, Cataneo, Galindo & Malfará, 2005;Conti, Cordás, & Latorre, 2009). Studies have shown that dietary inadequacy is a result of dissatisfaction with body image (Peden, Stiles, Vandehey, & Diekhoff, 2008;Scoffier et al, 2010).…”

Body mass index and body image perception in older adults

“…Interviewers were trained dietitians, who assessed sociodemographic characteristics, body image satisfaction (a single question, answered in a numbered scale ranging from 1-Unsatisfied to 4-Very satisfied), and body image questions, supported by the Body Shape Questionnaire, a validated contour drawing scale in which the subjects selected a picture they believed represented their current body image and their ideal body image [8,9]. This contour drawing scale comprises a set of nine contour drawings for each gender, showing escalating measures from leaner to wider body.…”

Body dissatisfaction and sociodemographic, anthropometric and maturational factors among artistic gymnastics athletes

“…To assess the dissatisfaction and concerns about body shape was used the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), in its version validated for Brazilian adolescents 4 . e instrument consists of 34 items in the Likert scale form of points, ranging from 1 (never) to 6 (always).…”