Body Shape Questionnaire-34 (BSQ) and Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS) - pertinent body image screening tools : creation and validation of Polish language versions

Objective:

Body image is defined as the perception of one's own body. While positive body image has a positive impact on quality of life, self-dissatisfaction may lead to depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. Body image might be quantified and evaluated: relevant instruments include the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and the Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS).

This study was designed to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Polish versions of these instruments.

Methods:

Translation (both forward and backward) from the original English versions of the questionnaires met international standards. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability are reported from 89 participants for the BSQ and 103 for the FAS. The participants also completed the Polish versions of the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory (BIQLI) and the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) to explore convergent validity.

Results:

Both, Polish versions of the BSQ and the FAS demonstrated good internal consistency and reproducibility. Convergent validity revealed a moderate relationship between the BSQ and the BIQLI scores, and a strong one between the FAS and the BAS-2 scores.

Conclusion:

Polish versions of both BSQ and FAS questionnaires showed sufficiently strong psychometric properties to support their use in clinical and research work with Polish speaking patients.