Objective: We aimed at developing and evaluating a questionnaire assessing health and appearance as the two main reasons for weight loss in overweight and obese individuals. Methods: Using data from two representative telephone surveys in Switzerland, the factorial structure of this questionnaire was analyzed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The model obtained was cross-validated with data from a second representative Swiss survey and multigroup analyses according to sex, age, BMI and regional language subgroups were performed. Results: This lead to a 24-item, 3-factor solution, with factors labeled ‘health’, ‘appearance in relation to others’, and ‘appearance in relation to oneself’. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were good. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first validated questionnaire assessing overweight and obese individuals’ reasons for weight loss. It should be further tested whether using this questionnaire as a pretreatment assessment device will help in tailoring treatments to individuals, thereby increasing treatment adherence and success.

Keywords:
Appearance, Health, Overweight, Obesity, Questionnaire development, Weight loss motivation
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© 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel
2010
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