The Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS): psychometric properties and results of the Dutch version in a community sample and a sample of women with eating disorders

Abstract

Background Body satisfaction in people with eating disorders (EDs) is negatively affected by their critical evaluation of aesthetic aspects. A focus on body functionality could create a more positive perspective. This study examines psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS) and differences in scores between women with and without EDs. Method Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were used to investigate the factor structure in data from a community sample of 669 women and an ED sample of 150 women. Reliability, test-retest scores and correlations with Body Cathexis Scale (BCS) and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) were investigated. T-tests were used to evaluate differences between samples. Results EFA identified a one-dimensional factor structure, which was confirmed by CFA. Reliability was adequate and convergent and discriminant validity were supported through correlations with BCS and EDE-Q (subscale) scores. FAS-scores were significantly lower for women with EDs compared to women from a community sample. Conclusions Psychometric results of the Dutch version of the FAS are promising and validate its use for clinical and research purposes. The significant difference between FAS scores in the female ED sample and the female community sample indicates that female ED patients obviously have a lower body satisfaction concerning body functionality compared with healthy women. Further research with male ED participants as well as exploration of sensitivity to change are recommended.

Psychometric properties of a Spanish translation of the Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS) in adults from Colombia

“…In addition, the factorial validity of the FAS has also been assessed in a wide range of national and linguistic contexts. Thus, the 7-item, unidimensional model of FAS scores has been supported in samples of adults from Brazil (in Brazilian Portuguese; Faria et al, 2020), Cyprus (in Greek; Anastasiades et al, 2023), Italy (in Italian; Cerea et al, 2021), Japan (in Japanese; Namatame et al, 2022), Lebanon (in Arabic; Swami et al, 2022), Malaysia (in Malaysian Malay; , the Netherlands (in Dutch; Rekkers et al, 2023), and Romania (in Romanian; , a sample of different age groups (adolescents to older adults) in China (in Chinese; He et al, 2022; see also Wang et al, 2022), as well as adolescents from the United Kingdom (in English; Todd et al, 2019) and Iran (in Persian; Sahlan et al, 2022). One study has also demonstrated that the FAS is partially invariant across adults in two national contexts (i.e., Malaysia and the United Kingdom; Todd & Swami, 2020), suggesting at least preliminarily that the FAS may be suitable for use in cross-cultural research.…”