Weight concerns and food habits of adolescent girls in two contrasting ecological regions: A comparative study in India

Cultural adaptation and validation of the Body Esteem Scale for Adults and Adolescents for use in English among adolescents in urban India

Body image research is growing in India; however, there are no psychometrically valid measures to assess body image concerns among an Indian population. In this study, the Body Esteem Scale for Adults and Adolescents (BESAA) underwent adaptation and validation among urban Indian adolescents in English. Cultural adaptations were made in consultation with body image experts and acceptability interviews with adolescents in India. 1462 adolescents living in Northern India completed the adapted BESAA and measures to assess construct validity. For girls, a 15-item three-factor model provided the best fit to our data, using exploratory factor analysis, with 'Appearance-Negative', 'Appearance-Positive', and 'Weight' subscales. For boys, a 7-item two-factor model provided best fit, with 'Appearance-Negative' and 'Appearance-Positive' subscales. Models were confirmed via confirmatory factor analysis. The scales demonstrated good internal consistency and satisfactory test-retest reliability. Construct, convergent validity was supported for girls and boys through significant correlations with figure rating scales and disordered eating. Further analyses using common items across the female and male scales, produced a psychometrically sound scale that can be used comparatively across genders. This study presents a culturally adapted, shortened BESAA as a valid and reliable measure to assess body image concerns in English among urban Indian adolescents.

Relationship between Hedonic Hunger and Health Interest on Habit and Sodium Intake Patterns in Food Consumption

Many people are motivated to eat healthily but find it difficult to override established and less healthy habits. Habits, by their nature, are unconscious and cued by the environment, thus making them powerful determinants of behavior. This study examined how hedonic hunger and health interest are related to habit and whether sodium consumption is mediated by hedonic hunger, health interest, and habit. A total of 117 students of Universitas Brawijaya took part in the study. Data analysis were done using Partial Least Square (PLS) and a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQ-FFQ). PLS was used to analyze the influence of the relationship between independent and dependent variables. SQ-FFQ was used to determine sodium intake in grams/day. The average sodium intake in this study was 2.47 grams/day. This analysis shows that hedonic hunger and health interest had a significant impact on health habits but not on sodium intake.