Psychometric Evaluation of the Food Life Questionnaire-Short Form among Brazilian Adult Women.

Measures of beliefs and attitudes toward food have generally been limited to the measurement of more pathological eating attitudes (e.g., disordered eating). The Food Life Questionnaire (FLQ) and its short form (FLQ-SF) were developed to examine attitudes toward a broader range of foods; however, the factor structure of the FLQ-SF was not confirmed in any study with young women. In the present study, we performed a psychometric evaluation of the Brazilian Portuguese translation of the FLQ-SF in a sample of 604 women. We evaluated the factor structure using a two-step, split-sample exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approach. Results supported a four-factor structure (i.e., weight concern, diet-health orientation, belief in a diet-health linkage, and food and pleasure) with 18 items (χ2/df = 2.09; CFI = 0.95; TLI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.05 (90% CI = 0.04; 0.06; p > 0.05); and SRMR = 0.08). Additionally, we found good internal consistency for all FLQ-SF subscales (McDonald's ω = 0.79-0.89) and convergent validity with measures of feelings, beliefs, and behaviors involved in food attitudes. Collectively, these results support the use of the FLQ-SF in Brazilian women and provide a foundation to expand the literature on beliefs and attitudes toward food in this population.

Honey, Do I Look Fat? Perceptions of Spouses' Weight and Weight Concerns Predict Marital Relationship Quality.

The majority of adults in the United States are overweight or obese, and yet Western ideals of beauty mean that low body fat composition is a component of physical attractiveness. In turn, perceived discrepancies between actual and ideal body shape and weight mean that many adults experience weight concerns-- and they also may be dissatisfied with their spouse's weight. This study examined whether weight concerns were linked to romantic relationship quality, an important domain of adult development. Specifically, we applied the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model to test how wives' and husbands' weight concerns and perceptions of their spouses' overweight contributed to their own and their spouse's reports of marital satisfaction and conflict over time. The sample was 197 heterosexual married couples (M age = 40.85 and 42.81 years for wives and husbands, respectively; M length of marriage = 18.6 years at Time 1) with children, who participated in a short-term longitudinal study of family relationships and adolescent development. Two-way interactions between partner perceptions of spouses' weight and gender indicated that husbands' perceptions that their wives were overweight predicted decreases in wives' marital satisfaction and increases in wives' reports of marital conflict across one year. In contrast, wives' perceptions of husbands' weight were not associated with changes in husbands' marital satisfaction or conflict. A two-way interaction between actor and partner weight concerns indicated that individuals reported more marital conflict when there was a discrepancy between their own and their spouse's weight concerns. Finally, a two-way interaction between actor and partner perceptions of spouse's weight indicated that, for individuals whose spouses rated them as below ideal weight, their perceptions of the spouse's overweight predicted their own lower marital satisfaction. Findings suggest that concerns about one's own and one's spouse's weight have negative ramifications for marital relationships.

Unhealthy weight control strategies: An outcome of body image and eating tensions in women of Mexican origin living in rural farming communities.

Unhealthy eating and weight control behaviors are important but modifiable factors that contribute to obesity in majority and minority populations. Studies suggest that these behaviors are common in Mexican American women, but most studies completed to date have focused on college enrolled Mexican American women. Little is known about body weight concerns, eating and weight control behaviors in low acculturated immigrant Mexican women. This qualitative descriptive study utilized two focus groups with 15 women to identify and describe body weight and shape perceptions, and thoughts and behaviors related to eating and weight control of low acculturated Mexican American living in disadvantaged economic situations. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze data and three main themes were identified: (1) body weight values and concerns, (2) eating and food, and (3) weight loss strategies and consequences. The first two themes shared five subthemes including emotion, health, age, family, and culture. Results suggest Mexican American women experience weight concerns that are in conflict with food/eating values and experiences. This conflict is influenced by cultural, family, and inter/intrapersonal factors and contributes to unhealthy eating and weight control behavior. The transition and assimilation to the United States is complex and dynamic. Thus understanding how the conflict regarding body weight and food influence Mexican American women's health behaviors is important and provides valuable knowledge essential to guide further research and intervention development.

Validation of the Weight Concerns Scale Applied to Brazilian University Students.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Portuguese version of the Weight Concerns Scale (WCS) when applied to Brazilian university students. The scale was completed by 1084 university students from Brazilian public education institutions. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted. The stability of the model in independent samples was assessed through multigroup analysis, and the invariance was estimated. Convergent, concurrent, divergent, and criterion validities as well as internal consistency were estimated. Results indicated that the one-factor model presented an adequate fit to the sample and values of convergent validity. The concurrent validity with the Body Shape Questionnaire and divergent validity with the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Students were adequate. Internal consistency was adequate, and the factorial structure was invariant in independent subsamples. The results present a simple and short instrument capable of precisely and accurately assessing concerns with weight among Brazilian university students.