Measurement invariance of body image measures by age, gender, sexual orientation, race, weight status, and age: The U.S. Body Project I. (June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hazzard, Vivienne M.; Schaefer, Lauren M.; Kevin Thompson, J.; Murray, Stuart B.; Frederick, David A.
• Is Part Of: Body image. Volume 41(2022)
• Page Start: 97
• Page End: 108
• Publication Date: 2022-06
• Subjects: Body Image -- Psychometrics -- Gender -- Race -- Sexual orientation -- Body Mass Index; Body image -- Periodicals; Body image -- Research -- Periodicals; Body Image -- Periodicals; 306.4613
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.01.015
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1740-1445

Abstract

Highlights: Measurement invariance of commonly used body image scales is largely unknown. We tested invariance by age, gender, race, sexual orientation, and weight status. Measures tested include Appearance Evaluation and Overweight Preoccupation. Additional measures tested included the SATAQ-4, BIQLI, and Body Surveillance. Strong (scalar) measurement invariance was supported across measures and groups. Abstract: Despite growing interest in comparing body image experiences across diverse groups, limited work has examined whether body image measures operate similarly across different populations, raising important questions about the appropriateness of comparing scale means across demographic groups. This study employed measurement invariance testing to evaluate whether such comparisons are appropriate with existing body image measures. Specifically, multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using a community sample of 11, 620 men and women to test increasing levels of invariance (configural, metric, scalar) across five key demographic variables (age group, gender, sexual orientation, race, weight status) for five commonly used body image measures (the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4, the Body Surveillance subscale of the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale, the Appearance Evaluation and Overweight Preoccupation subscales of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, and the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory). Results provided evidence of scalar ( i.e ., strong) invariance for all five measures across age, gender, sexual orientation, race, and weight status groups, indicating that the latent factors captured by these measures have the same meaning across demographic groups. Findings therefore support the comparison of scale/subscale means across multiple demographic groups for these body image measures.