The arabic version of the fat phobia scale-short form: reliability and structural validity
Hadeel Ghazzawi1, Ahmad Alenezi2,3, Sally Souraya4
1Department Nutrition and Food Technology, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
Eating and Weight Disorders : EWD
|February 24, 2025
Summary
A new Arabic version of the Fat Phobia Scale (F-Scale 14) shows good reliability and structural validity for measuring weight bias in Arabic-speaking populations. A 12-item version is recommended for improved cultural relevance.
Area of Science:
- Psychological Measurement
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Weight bias, or fat phobia, involves negative attitudes towards larger bodies.
- Arabic-speaking populations lack a validated tool to measure fat phobia.
- Negative weight-related attitudes can harm mental health in these populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To translate and culturally adapt the Fat Phobia Scale-Short Form (F-Scale 14) into Arabic.
- To assess the structural validity and reliability of the Arabic version.
- To provide a tool for measuring weight stigma in Arabic-speaking communities.
Main Methods:
- A gold standard translation process was employed, including forward and back-translations.
- A cross-sectional online study surveyed 1246 participants from 22 Arabic countries.
- Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess structural validity.
Main Results:
- The Arabic F-Scale 14 demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.82) and test-retest reliability (0.92).
- Satisfactory structural validity was observed, with a slight improvement after removing two culturally less relevant items.
- Convergent validity was adequate, indicated by a significant correlation with the figure rating scale (r=0.76).
Conclusions:
- The Arabic F-Scale 14 is a reliable and valid measure of fat phobia.
- A 12-item version (Arabic F-Scale-12) is recommended for enhanced cultural relevance.
- This scale will be valuable for research and clinical applications to address weight stigma in Arabic communities.
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