Development and validation of the Sociocultural Influences on Fear of Fat Scale (SI-FAT)

Abstract

The stigmatization of larger bodies is omnipresent in Western society and may be associated with fear of fat, one of the core elements of body image and eating concerns. To date, while much work has focused on sociocultural influences towards thinness, parallel work exploring sociocultural influence on fear of fat is lacking. This study therefore aimed to develop and evaluate a measure of sociocultural influences on fear of fat (SI-FAT). Study 1 included N = 235 women, mean (SD) age = 19.75 (1.35) years; a subsample of whom provided additional data two-weeks later (n = 140). Exploratory factor analyses supported a four-factor structure with 4-item media, peer, family, and partner subscales. These subscales revealed excellent internal and test-rest reliability. In addition, support for convergent validity with body dissatisfaction, fear of fat, and rigid dietary control emerged. Study 2, among N = 317 women, 19.82 (SD = 1.5) years, further supported the factor structure and provided additional evidence of convergent validity with weight-based teasing, divergent validity with anti-fat attitudes, and incremental validity in the prediction of dietary restriction above and beyond anti-fat bias. Together, findings suggest that the SI-FAT is a useful tool for assessing sociocultural influences on fear of fat.