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Evaluation of two weight stigma scales in Malaysian university students: weight self-stigma questionnaire and perceived weight stigma scale

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A Correction to this article was published on 22 July 2023

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Abstract

Background

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (WSSQ) and Perceived Weight Stigma Scale (PWS) among Malaysian university students.

Methods

University students who were studying in a Malaysia university with a mean age of 24.0 years (n = 380; females 71.6%) were recruited through convenience sampling between 19 August and 30 September 2021. They completed a Google Form consisting of information on sociodemographic background, weight stigma, psychological distress and self-reported body weight and height. Psychometric testing was conducted using the classical test theory (including confirmatory factor analysis) and Rasch models to confirm the two-factor structure of WSSQ and the unidimensional structure of the PWS using the various fit indices. Concurrent validity of the total scores of WSSQ and PWS with psychological distress and body mass index (BMI) was also investigated. Internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha was conducted.

Results

The confirmatory factor analyses and Rasch analyses verified the two-factor structure for the WSSQ and the single-factor structure for the PWS. Both the WSSQ and PWS showed good internal consistency and good concurrent validity as demonstrated by their significant correlations with psychological distress and BMI.

Conclusion

The WSSQ and PWS have strong validity and reliability, and they can both be used to assess weight stigma among Malaysian university students.

Level of evidence

V: Descriptive study.

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Availability of data and materials

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Change history

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Funding

Financial support from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST 110-2410-H-006-115), the Higher Education Sprout Project, Ministry of Education to the Headquarters of University Advancement at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), and the 2021 Southeast and South Asia and Taiwan Universities Joint Research Scheme (NCKU 31).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Wan Ying Gan and Serene En Hui Tung have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Wan Ying Gan

  2. Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

    Serene En Hui Tung

  3. Institute of Allied Health Sciences, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Rd, Tainan, 701401, Taiwan

    Kamolthip Ruckwongpatr & Chung-Ying Lin

  4. Faculty of Education, University of Malaya (UM), 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Simin Ghavifekr

  5. College of Sports Science and Technology, Mahidol University, Sala Ya, Phutthamonthon, Nakhon Pathom, 73170, Thailand

    Chirawat Paratthakonkun

  6. Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia

    Ira Nurmala

  7. Department of Family Medicine, Cardinal Tien Hospital, New Taipei, Taiwan

    Yen-Ling Chang

  8. Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Janet D. Latner

  9. Department of Family and Community Medicine, E-DA Hospital, No. 1, Yida Rd., Yanchao Dist., Kaohsiung, 82445, Taiwan

    Ru-Yi Huang

  10. School of Medicine for International Students, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    Ru-Yi Huang

  11. Biostatistics Consulting Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Chung-Ying Lin

  12. Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Chung-Ying Lin

  13. Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Chung-Ying Lin

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  1. Wan Ying Gan
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Contributions

All the authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation was performed by WYG, SEHT, KR, CP, IN, and CYL; data collection was performed by WYG, SEHT, and SG; data analysis was performed by CYL; data interpretation was performed by WYG, SEHT, CYL, YLC, JDL, and RYH. The first draft of the manuscript was written by WYG, SEHT, KR, RYH, and CYL. All the authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ru-Yi Huang or Chung-Ying Lin.

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Conflict of interest

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethical approval

This study was performed involving human participants and was in accordance with the principles of 1964 Helsinki Declaration. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee for Research Involving Human Subjects in Universiti Putra Malaysia (JKEUPM; Reference Number: JKEUPM-2021-455).

Consent to participant

Informed consent was obtained from all the individual participants included in the study.

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The original online version of this article was revised: the incorrect given and family names has been corrected.

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Gan, W.Y., Tung, S.E.H., Ruckwongpatr, K. et al. Evaluation of two weight stigma scales in Malaysian university students: weight self-stigma questionnaire and perceived weight stigma scale. Eat Weight Disord 27, 2595–2604 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-022-01398-3

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