The Body Morph Assessment Version 2.0 (BMA 2.0): A Psychometric Study

• Main Author: Stewart, Tiffany M.
• Other Authors: Donald A. Williamson
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: LSU 2002
• Subjects: Psychology
• Online Access: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-1023102-140854/

A computerized procedure for assessing body image, called the Body Morph Assessment Version 2.0 (BMA 2.0), was developed to serve as reliable and valid measure of body image. The BMA 2.0 is an extention of an earlier prototype called the Body Morph Assessment (BMA; Stewart, Williamson, Smeets, & Greenway, 2000). Although flexible in its uses, the BMA 2.0 targets the measurement of body image in people ranging in body size from very thin to very obese. The BMA was evaluated in terms of its psychometric characteristics. A sample of 217 subjects, composed of four distinct groups classified by gender and ethnicity [(White females (n= 107), White males (n=38 ), Black females (n=57) and Black males (n= 15)], were recruited. The lower and upper limit of BMI for the sample was 17.78 and 56.68. Validity studies were conducted to assess the content, convergent and discriminant validity of the BMA 2.0. A study of convergent validity was conducted to assess the BMA 2.0s association with measures designed to assess body image. Measures that were utilized for this purpose were; Body Image Assessment-Obesity (BIA-O: Williamson, 1997), and the Body Satisfaction Scale (BSS; Slade, Dewey, Newton, Brodie & Keimle, 1990). A study of discriminant validity was conducted to assess the proposed measures association with the restraint scale of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ; Stunkard & Messick, 1985). The BMA 2.0 was found to have good convergent and discriminant validity. Test-retest reliability was found to be adequate. The study also investigated the association between perceived BMI and BMA goals. The BMA 2.0 can be used for the prediction of success in the task of weight loss, and in treatment outcome studies for eating disorders and obesity.