Hourglass Body Shape Ideal Scale and disordered eating

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Eating Disorder Research
• Sociocultural Influences

Background:

• Disordered eating research traditionally focuses on thin or muscular ideals.
• The impact of internalizing a curvy or hourglass body shape ideal is less understood.
• Sociocultural pressures contribute to body image concerns and disordered eating.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Hourglass Body Shape Ideal Scale (HBSIS) for measuring internalization of an hourglass body shape.
• To examine the relationship between hourglass ideal internalization and disordered eating symptoms.
• To assess the psychometric properties of the HBSIS.

Main Methods:

• Two online studies were conducted with community and undergraduate women (N = 916 in Study 1, N = 195 in Study 2).
• Participants completed the HBSIS along with measures of appearance orientation, overweight preoccupation, and disordered eating.
• Factor structure, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the HBSIS were evaluated.

Main Results:

• The HBSIS demonstrated robust factor structure, convergent, and discriminant validity in both studies.
• Hourglass Body Shape Ideal Scale scores were positively correlated with disordered eating symptoms, even after controlling for other ideals.
• Higher HBSIS scores were associated with a greater likelihood of clinical levels of disordered eating.

Conclusions:

• The HBSIS is a reliable and valid measure for assessing hourglass body shape ideal internalization.
• This scale captures a unique aspect of appearance-ideal internalization previously understudied in eating pathology.
• Findings suggest that the internalization of a curvy ideal is a significant factor in disordered eating.