Reliability and validity of a body image rating scale in South American children and adolescents from the SAYCARE Study

• Grant number: 17/16229-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants - Publications - Scientific article
• Start date: September 01, 2017
• End date: February 28, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Epidemiology
• Principal Investigator: Heraclito Barbosa de Carvalho
• Grantee: Heraclito Barbosa de Carvalho
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/11468-6 - Design and implementation of the SAYCARE Study: South American Youth/Child Cardiovascular and Environmental Study, AP.R

Abstract

Objective: To assess the reliability of body image (BI) perception reported by parents (in children) and by adolescents and to determine its validity in a South American population.Methods: Two questions assessed BI perception, one using the Gardner scale. For reliability, the BI scale and questionnaire were reported twice. For validity, body perception was compared with the Z score of body mass index for sex and age. Both the Kappa coefficient and Kendall's Tau coefficient were obtained.Results: There were 442 children and 272 adolescents assessed with the first questionnaire. Reproducibility was acceptable in children (k=0.337) and notable in adolescents (k=0.709). The Gardner scale showed that a majority of children were perceived by parents as having a lower weight and that adolescents were more accurate. The reproducibility of this scale was deficient in children (k=0.124) and notable in adolescents (k=0.599). The validity of the scale was poor in children (k=-0.018) and adolescents (k=0.023). Validity of the BI questions was reduced in children (k=0.176) and acceptable in adolescents (k=0.268).Conclusion: The reproducibility of the BI questions in children was acceptable in the first question and reduced in the scale image question; however, in adolescents it was notable in both questions. The validity was reduced in both cases. (AU)