PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF A SPANISH ADAPTATION OF THE WEIGHT BIAS INTERNALIZATION SCALE (WBIS)

Abstract

obesity is currently one of the most important international health problems, and the study of the various aspects related to it has become a priority. One such aspect is the analysis of the weight bias internalization, especially its evaluation, for which different instruments hare been designed, though they are not available for Spanish population. the objective of this study is the translation and adaptation of the Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS), analyzing its psychometric characteristics. fifty-nine people were evaluated by a Spanish adaptation of WBIS, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in short version, and the General Health Questionnaire Goldberg (GHQ-28). Internal consistency was explored, as well as concurrent and construct validity of the adapted instrument. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .89, while the concurrent validity showed statistically significant correlations with the total score of GHQ-28 (r = .39, p < .02) and the BDI (r = .42, p < .001). The final scale consists of 11 items, which are grouped into two main factors, and allow a significant explanation of 65.03% of the variance. the Spanish adaptation of the WBIS shows good psychometric values of reliability and validity, so it might be a good scale for the assessment of the weight bias internalization, which could be confirmed in larger studies.