Introduction: In Colombia, 56.4% of the population lives with excess weight, which not only has medical implications but also poses risks to mental health due to negative attitudes and discrimination. Despite the existence of instruments to measure these attitudes, there is no evidence of their application in Colombia. Therefore, this research aimed to adapt and validate the Anti-Fat Attitudes (AFA) Scale for Colombian adolescents. Method: The AFA was applied to 662 participants from 12 to 19 years of age from various departments of Colombia. Content validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and convergent validity analyses were conducted. Results: The AFA showed high internal consistency (McDonald´s Omega .85) and a three-dimensional model in which item 2 was removed due to insufficient values. Significant correlations were found between the AFA and the Body Image State Scale, supporting its convergent validity. Conclusions: The AFA is a valid and reliable measure for assessing negative attitudes towards obesity in Colombian adolescents, with implications for clinical practice and health research. Further research is needed to address limitations, strengthen the scale’s validity and reliability, and develop specific interventions based on its results.

Keywords:
Weight stigma, weight discrimination, validation, reliability, adolescents.

21_RLP_56_24137_Antifat_web

Adelardi, L. (2022). Bullying, gordofobia y salud mental. Revista Límbica, 3(4), 21-31. https://acortar.link/bfVj9C

Aiken, L. R. (1985). Three coefficients for analyzing the reliability and validity of ratings. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 45(1), 131-142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164485451012

Allison, D. B., Basile, V. C., & Yuker, H. E. (1991). The measurement of attitudes toward and beliefs about obese persons. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 10(5), 599-607. https://acortar.link/W5wNLY

Argyrides, A., Anastasiades, E., Charalambous, Z., & Michael, K. (2022). Validation of a Greek adaptation of the Anti-Fat Attitudes Questionnaire. Clinical Obesity, 13(1), e12565. https://doi.org/10.1111/cob.12565

Bartlett, M. S. (1950). Tests of Significance in Factor Analysis. British Journal of Statistical Psychology, 3(2), 77-85. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8317.1950.tb00285.x

Brochu, P. M. (2020). Weight stigma as a risk factor for suicidality. International Journal of Obesity, 44, 1979-1980. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-020-0632-5

Brown, A., Flint, S. W., & Batterham, R. L. (2022). Pervasiveness, impact and implications of weight stigma. Clinical Medicine, 47, 101408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101408

Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1989). Single Sample Cross-Validation Indices for Covariance Structures. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 24(4), 445-455. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr2404_4

Carrillo, B., Sánchez, M., & Leenen, I. (2020). Amenazas a la validez en evaluación: implicaciones en educación médica. Investigación en Educación Médica, 9(34), 100-107. https://doi.org/10.22201/facmed.20075057e.2020.34.221

Cash, T. F., Fleming, E. C., Alindogan, J., Steadman, L., & Whitehead, A. (2002). Más allá de la imagen corporal como rasgo: el desarrollo y la validación de la Escala de Estados de Imagen Corporal. Trastornos Alimentarios, 10(2), 103-113. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640260290081678

Chen, C., & Gonzales, L. (2022). Understanding weight stigma in eating disorder treatment: Development and initial validation of a treatment-based stigma scale. Journal of Health Psychology, 27(13), 3028-3045. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053221079177

Chou, W. S., Prestin, A., & Kunath, S. (2014). Obesity in social media: A mixed methods analysis. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 4(3), 314-323. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-014-0256-1

Crandall, C. S. (1994). Prejudice against fat people: Ideology and self-interest. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66(5), 882-894. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.66.5.882

Cullin, J. (2021). Implicit and explicit fat bias among adolescents from two US populations varying by obesity prevalence. Pediatric Obesity, 16(5), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.12747

Durso, L. E., & Latner, J. D. (2008). Understanding Self-directed Stigma: Development of the Weight Bias Internalization Scale. Obesity, 16(S2), S80-S86. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2008.448

Greenberg, B. S., Eastin, M., Hofschire, L., Lachlan, K., & Brownell, K. D. (2003). Portrayals of Overweight and Obese Individuals on Commercial Television. American Journal of Public Health, 93(8), 1342-1348. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.93.8.1342

Juvonen, J., Lessard, L. M., Schacter, H. L., & Suchilt, L. (2017). Emotional Implications of Weight Stigma Across Middle School: The Role of Weight-Based Peer Discrimination. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 46(1), 150–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2016.1188703

Kaiser, H. F. (1970). A second generation little jiffy. Psychometrika, 35(4), 401-415. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02291817

Kim, J.-O., & Mueller, C. (1978). Introduction to factor analysis. Sage Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412984652

Langumier, H. (2022). Adaptation francophone et validation de l’Anti-Fat Attitudes Questionnaire chez les étudiant·e·s belges en kinésithérapie [Master’s Thesis, Université catholique de Louvain]. DIAL.mem: UCLouvain Electronic Master theses. https://dial.uclouvain.be/memoire/ucl/object/thesis:34421

Lillis, J., Luoma, J. B., Levin, M. E., & Hayes, S. C. (2010). Measuring Weight Self-stigma: The Weight Self-stigma Questionnaire. Obesity, 18(5), 971-976. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2009.353

Lloret-Segura, S., Ferreres-Traver, A., Hernández-Baeza, A., & Tomás-Marco, I. (2014). El análisis factorial exploratorio de los ítems: Una guía práctica, revisada y actualizada. Anales de Psicología / Annals of Psychology, 30(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.30.3.199361

Macho, S., Andrés, A., & Saldaña, C., (2022). Anti-fat attitudes among Spanish general population: Psychometric properties of the anti-fat attitudes scale. Clinical Obesity, 12(6), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1111/cob.12543

Magallares, A., & Morales, J.-F. (2014). Spanish adaptation of the Antifat Attitudes Scale / Adaptación al castellano de la Escala de Actitud Antiobesos. International Journal of Social Psychology, 29(3), 563-588. https://doi.org/10.1080/02134748.2014.972707

Mardia, K. V. (1980). 9 Tests of unvariate and multivariate normality. Handbook of Statistics, 1, 279-320. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-7161(80)01011-5

Meadows, A., & Calogero, R. M. (2018). Studies on Weight Stigma and Body Image in Higher-Weight Individuals. In M. Cuzzolaro & S. Fassino (Eds.), Body Image, Eating, and Weight (pp. 381-400). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90817-5_28

Mebarak, M., Tinoco, L., Mejia-Rodriguez, D., Martinez-Banfi, M. L., Preuss, H., Hammerle, F., Vélez, J. I., & Kolar, D. R. (2019). The Spanish Body Image State Scale: Factor structure, reliability and validity in a Colombian population. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02553

Meldrum, D. R., Morris, M. A., & Gambone, J. C. (2017). Obesity pandemic: Causes, consequences, and solutions—but do we have the will? Fertility and Sterility, 107(4), 833-839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2017.02.104

Meneses, J., Barrios, M., Bonillo, A., Cosculluela, A., Lozano, L., Turbany, J., & Valero, S. (2013). Psicometría. Editorial UOC.

Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social. (2021). Obesidad, un factor de riesgo en el covid-19. https://www.minsalud.gov.co/Paginas/Obesidad-un-factor-de-riesgo-en-el-covid-19.aspx

Navajas-Pertegás, N. (2017). La gordofobia es un problema del trabajo social. AZARBE, Revista Internacional de Trabajo Social y Bienestar, 6, 37-46. https://revistas.um.es/azarbe/article/view/297181

Pan American Health Organization. (PAHO, 2023). World Obesity Day – PAHO urges countries to tackle main driver of NCDs in the Americas. https://www.paho.org/en/news/3-3-2023-world-obesity-day-paho-urges-countries-tackle-main-driver-ncds-americas

Philip, W., & James, T. (1998). What are the health risks? The medical consequences of obesity and its health risks. Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes, 106(02), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0029-1212028

Pipová, H., Petr, C., Dolejs, M., Kostková, M., Suchá, J., & Sonneville, K. (2024). Examining the Psychometric Properties of the Czech Versions of Anti-Fat Attitudes Questionnaire (AFA) and Beliefs About Obese Persons Scale (BAOP). Psychological Test Adaptation and Development, 5(1), 127-138. https://doi.org/10.1027/2698-1866/a000074

Puhl, R., Himmelstein, M., & Pearl, R. (2020). Weight stigma as a psychosocial contributor to obesity. American Psychologist, 75(2), 274-289. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000538

Puhl, R. M., & King, K. M. (2013). Weight discrimination and bullying. Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 27(2), 117-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beem.2012.12.002

Rosiek, A., Maciejewska, N., Leksowski, K., Rosiek-Kryszewska, A., & Leksowski, Ł. (2015). Effect of television on obesity and excess of weight and consequences of health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(8), 9408-9426. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120809408

Saz, M., & Baile, J. (2023). La influencia de las redes sociales como factor de riesgo en el desarrollo de la anorexia y bulimia nerviosa durante la adolescencia. Revista Tecnología, Ciencia y Educación, 24, 141-168. https://doi.org/10.51302/tce.2023.743

Selensky, J. C., & Carels, R. A. (2021). Weight stigma and media: An examination of the effect of advertising campaigns on weight bias, internalized weight bias, self-esteem, body image, and affect. Body Image, 36, 95-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.10.008

Soto, C. M., & Segovia, J. L. (2009). Intervalos de confianza asimétricos para el índice la validez de contenido: un programa Visual Basic para la V de Aiken. Anales de Psicología, 25(1), 169-171. https://revistas.um.es/analesps/article/view/71631

Stangl, A. L., Earnshaw, V. A., Logie, C. H., van Brakel, W., C. Simbayi, L., Barré, I., & Dovidio, J. F. (2019). The health stigma and discrimination framework: A global, crosscutting framework to inform research, intervention development, and policy on health-related stigmas. BMC Medicine, 17(1), 31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-019-1271-3

Talumaa, B., Brown, A., Batterham, R., & Kalea, A. (2022). Effective strategies in ending weight stigma in healthcare. Obesity Reviews, 23(10), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13494

Uriel, E., & Aldás, J. (2005). Análisis multivariante aplicado. Thomson-Paraninfo.

Vallejo-Medina, P., Gómez-Lugo, M., Marchal-Bertrand, L., Saavedra-Roa, A., Soler, F., & Morales, A. (2017). Developing guidelines for adapting questionnaires into the same language in another culture. Terapia Psicológica, 35(2), 181-194. https://teps.cl/index.php/teps/article/view/177

Vartanian, L., & Porter, A. (2016). Weight stigma and eating behavior: A review of the literature. Appetite, 102(1), 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.01.034

Warnick, J., Darling, K., West, C., Jones, L., & Jelalian, E. (2022). Weight stigma and mental health in youth: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 47(3), 237-255. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsab110

Westbury, S., Oyebode, O., Van Rens, T., & Barber, T. M. (2023). Obesity stigma: Causes, consequences, and potential solutions. Current Obesity Reports, 12(1), 10-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-023-00495-3

World Health Organisation (WHO, 2021). Obesity and overweight. https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight

Wu, Y., & Berry, D. (2017). Impact of weight stigma on physiological and psychological health outcomes for overweight and obese adults: A systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 74(5), 1030-1042. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13511