Validity and reproducibility of Escala de Evaluación da Insatisfación Corporal para Adolescentes

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:To validate a body dissatisfaction scale for adolescents. METHODS: The study included 386 female and male adolescents aged 10 to 17 years enrolled in a private elementary and middle school in the city of São Bernardo do Campo, southeastern Brazil, in 2006. "Escala de Evaluación da Insatisfación Corporal para Adolescentes" (body dissatisfaction scale for adolescents) was translated and culturally adapted. The Portuguese instrument was evaluated for internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha, factor analysis with Varimax rotation, discriminant validity by comparing score means according to nutritional status (low weight, normal weight, and at risk of overweight and obesity) using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Concurrent validity was assessed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between scores and body mass index, waist-hip ratio and waist circumference. Reproducibility was evaluated using Wilcoxon test, and intraclass correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The translated and back-translated scale showed good agreement with the original one. The translated scale had good internal consistency in all subgroups studied (males and females in early and intermediate adolescence) and was able to discriminate adolescents according to their nutritional status. In the concurrent analysis, all three measures were correlated, except for males in early adolescence. Its reproducibility was ascertained. CONCLUSIONS: The "Escala de Evaluación da Insatisfación Corporal para Adolescentes" was successfully translated into Portuguese and adapted to the Brazilian background and showed good results. It is recommended for the evaluation of the attitudinal component of body image in adolescents.