Development and Validation of a BMI-Based Figure Rating Scale for Chinese Adolescents

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Anthropometry
• Public Health

Background:

• Figure Rating Scales (FRS) are crucial for assessing body dissatisfaction.
• Existing scales may not adequately represent diverse adolescent populations.
• Validating culturally specific measures is essential for accurate research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel Figure Rating Scale (FRS) tailored for Chinese adolescents, the C-BMI-FRS.
• To assess the correlation between the C-BMI-FRS and objective measures like Body Mass Index (BMI).
• To examine the relationship between the C-BMI-FRS and psychological factors such as body satisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, self-esteem, and negative affect.

Main Methods:

• Development of the C-BMI-FRS based on BMI and body shape relevant to Chinese adolescents.
• Validation study involving 2,237 Chinese adolescents aged 15-18 years.
• Correlational analyses to assess relationships between C-BMI-FRS scores, BMI, body satisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, self-esteem, and negative affect.
• Test-retest reliability assessment over an 8- to 10-week interval.

Main Results:

• The perceived actual figure selected using C-BMI-FRS strongly correlated with participants' BMI (r = .83 in girls, r = .80 in boys).
• Actual and Ideal Figure Discrepancy (AID) scores showed significant associations with body satisfaction (negative correlation) and eating disorder symptoms (positive correlation).
• Test-retest reliability for actual figure, ideal figure, and AID scores exceeded .57, indicating good stability.

Conclusions:

• The C-BMI-FRS is a validated and reliable tool for measuring body dissatisfaction in Chinese adolescents.
• The scale demonstrates strong utility in assessing body image concerns, correlating well with BMI and psychological health indicators.
• Findings support the use of the C-BMI-FRS in research and clinical settings involving Chinese adolescent populations.