The Body Appreciation Scale (BAS) is a 13-item measure to assess a woman's attitudes towards their body. The measure captures the extent to which women: (a) hold favorable opinions of their bodies, (b) accept their bodies in spite of their weight, body shape, and imperfections, (c) respect their bodies by attending to their body’s needs and engaging in healthy behaviors, and (d) protect their body image by rejecting unrealistic images of the thin-ideal prototype portrayed in the media.
Geographies Tested: United States of America
Populations Included: Female
Age Range: Adolescents, Adults
1. I respect my body.
2. I feel good about my body.
3. On the whole, I am satisfied with my body.
4. Despite its flaws, I accept my body for what it is.
5. I feel that my body has at least some good qualities.
6. I take a positive attitude toward my body.
7. I am attentive to my body’s needs.
8. My self-worth is independent of my body shape or weight.
9. I do not focus a lot of energy being concerned with my body shape or weight.
10. My feelings toward my body are positive, for the most part.
11. I engage in healthy behaviors to take care of my body.
12. I do not allow unrealistically thin images of women presented in the media to affect my attitudes toward my body.
13. Despite its imperfections, I still like my body.
Response Options:
Never - 1
Seldom - 2
Sometimes - 3
Often - 4
Always - 5
Item responses are averaged to obtain an overall body appreciation score. Higher scores reflect greater body appreciation.
Avalos L, Tylka TL, Wood-Barcalow N. The Body Appreciation Scale: Development and psychometric evaluation. Body Image. 2005;2(3):285-97.
Psychometric Score
Ease of Use Score
Formative ResearchQualitative Research
Existing Literature/Theoretical Framework
Field Expert Input
Cognitive Interviews / Pilot Testing
ReliabilityInternal
Test-retest
Interrater
ValidityContent
Face
Criterion (gold-standard)
Construct
KEY
Ease of UseReadability
Scoring Clarity
Length
Evidence-based Measures of Empowerment for Research on Gender Equality (EMERGE)
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