Initial examination of the validity and reliability of the female photographic figure rating scale for body image assessment

The present study reports on the reliability and validity of an improved body image assessment scale, namely the female Photographic Figure Rating Scale (PFRS). This scale consists of ten photographic images of real women varying in body mass index (BMI) from emaciated to obese. The PFRS was designe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPersonality and individual differences Vol. 44; no. 8; pp. 1752 - 1761
Main Authors Swami, Viren, Salem, Natalie, Furnham, Adrian, Tovée, Martin J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2008
Elsevier
Subjects
Biological and medical sciences
Body image
Body size
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Personality. Affectivity
Photographic Figure Rating Scale
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychometrics
Scale assessment
Scale assessment
Body image
Body size
Photographic Figure Rating Scale
Human
Evaluation scale
Body weight
Psychometrics
Corporal biometry
Test reliability
Test validation
Body mass index
Female
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Summary:The present study reports on the reliability and validity of an improved body image assessment scale, namely the female Photographic Figure Rating Scale (PFRS). This scale consists of ten photographic images of real women varying in body mass index (BMI) from emaciated to obese. The PFRS was designed to overcome many of the limitations associated with line-drawn figures that are currently in use, including a lack of realism and poor ecological validity. Based on a sample of 208 adult women, the results of the present study showed that the PFRS had good validity in that all images were correctly rank-ordered by BMI. In addition, construct validity was supported by the finding that current self-ratings of body size based on the PFRS were significantly correlated with participants’ BMI and that body dissatisfaction was negatively correlated with positive body image. Finally, test–retest reliabilities showed that the PFRS remained stable after a three-week interval. The discussion focuses on the strengths and limitations of the PFRS in relation to existing scales used in body image assessment.
ISSN:0191-8869
1873-3549
DOI:10.1016/j.paid.2008.02.002