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New questionnaire for measuring cognitive behavioral components of weight management appears valid, reliable
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The Body Knowledge Questionnaire, a tool for measuring the cognitive behavioral components of weight management integration, appears to be valid and reliable, according to recent findings.
In the initial development and pilot testing study, David A. Hernandez, EdD, PhD, of Walden University in Minneapolis, and Cheri Ann Hernandez, RN, PhD, CDE, of the University of Windsor in Ontario, developed a questionnaire addressing the attitudes, preferences and behaviors related to weight management and obesity. The 27-item Body Knowledge Questionnaire (BKQ) was created through a review of literature on integration. The researchers describe the theory of integration as a process that occurs in diabetes in which individuals reconcile the existence of “two selves,” the personal (self that always existed) and the diabetic self (self that emerged upon diabetes diagnosis). This concept was applied to weight management based on quantitative studies that have affirmed the value of integration in the experience of those seeking to lose weight.
The BKQ was pilot tested on 37 individuals. Six of the participants were normal weight with type 2 diabetes, 10 had obesity with type 2 diabetes, 11 were normal weight without diabetes and six had obesity without diabetes. The researchers assessed the psychometric properties of the BKQ as follows: determination of content validity, determination of construct validity through factor analysis and establishment of criterion-related validity through discriminant function analysis and logistic regression. Additionally, scale reliability analysis was used to evaluate the internal consistency reliability of the total BKQ and its two subscales, Food Centricity and Psychosomatic Awareness.
Through exploratory factor analysis, the researchers arrived at a 2-factor solution, with factor loading ranging from fair to excellent (0.45 to 0.81). Discriminant function analysis revealed that the BKQ subscales were accurate in predicting the categorization of study participants into normal-weight and obese groups. Logistic regression analysis revealed the BKQ’s reliability in differentiating between normal-weight participants and those with obesity.
Overall the BKQ was found to have an internal consistency of 0.87. The Food Centricity subscale had an internal consistency of 0.89 and the Psychosomatic Awareness subscale had an internal consistency of 0.73.
“With additional psychometric testing, the BKQ instrument has great potential for use in weight management practice areas, such as diabetes education, dietetics, nursing and psychology,” the researchers wrote. “Practitioners can use the instrument to get an assessment of an individual’s attitudes, preferences and behaviors related to weight management.” – by Jennifer Byrne
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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