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 vital to promote body image research in Spanish speaking Latin American countries. We validated a Latin American Spanish version of the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA; Mendelson et al., 2001). Methods The scale was translated, culturally adapted, and validated with adults in Colombia (N = 525, 65% women, Mage 24.4, SD = 9.28). We assessed factor structure (using confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis CFA and EFA), 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 (using Intraclass correlations ICC) and measurement invariance. 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, Mage 22.2, SD = 4.72). Results The scale showed excellent internal reliability and validity across both samples. Test-retest stability and invariance across gender was established for the Colombian sample. EFA showed a three-factor structure with the subscales appearance-positive, appearance-negative and weight that was confirmed using CFA in both the Colombian and Nicaraguan sample and showed invariance across countries. Conclusion The Latin American Spanish version BESAA-LA is a psychometrically sound measure with excellent reliability, validity and invariance across gender and countries. Therefore, we recommend its use in diverse Latin American adult populations to measure body satisfaction/dissatisfaction.