Validation of a Latin-American Spanish version of the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA-LA) in Colombian and Nicaraguan adults

Abstract

Background: Body dissatisfaction (BD) is a growing concern in Latin America; reliable and culturally appropriate scales are necessary to support body image research in Spanish speaking Latin American countries. We sought to validate a Latin-American Spanish version of the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA; Mendelson et al. 2001). Methods: The BESAA was translated, culturally adapted, and validated in a sample of adults in Colombia (N = 525, 65% women, M age 24.4, SD = 9.28). We assessed factor structure (using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and exploratory structural equation model (ESEM)), internal reliability (using Cronbach’s alpha and omega), validity (using the Body Appreciation Scale BAS and Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire SATAQ), test–retest stability in a small subsample (N = 84, using Intraclass correlations ICC) and measurement invariance across gender. To evaluate the generalizability of the scale, we assessed reliability, validity, and factor structure in a second sample from rural Nicaragua (N = 102, 73% women, M age 22.2, SD = 4.72), and assessed measurement invariance across Nicaraguan and Colombian participants. Results: The scale showed good internal reliability and validity in both samples, and there was evidence of adequate test–retest stability in the Colombian sample. EFA showed a three-factor structure with subscales we labelled ‘appearance-positive’, ‘appearance-negative’ and ‘weight’, that was confirmed using CFA and ESEM in the Colombian sample. Measurement invariance was confirmed across the Colombian and Nicaraguan samples, and across gender within the Colombian sample. Conclusion: The Latin-American Spanish version of the BESAA (BESAA-LA) appears to be a psychometrically sound measure with good reliability, validity and invariance across gender and countries. These results support the use of this scale to measure body satisfaction/dissatisfaction in Latin American adult populations.