ArticleJournal of eating disorders2025
Is one item enough? Testing the potential utility of single-item assessments of appearance satisfaction across three studies.
Article in Journal of eating disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundWhile many multi-item measures are available to evaluate an individual's body image, study demands occasionally require the use of very brief measures, including single-items. However, little is known about how single-items perform relative to multi-item counterparts.
methodsThe present study aimed to evaluate the utility of two single-item assessments of appearance satisfaction, i.e. an individual's evaluation of their appearance, using a four-step and seven-step Likert scale and drawing on secondary data from three studies: (1) the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) (N = 5,952, aged 14), (2) a cross-sectional study of older adolescents primarily with probable eating disorder diagnoses (the STORY study) (N = 242, aged 16-25), (3) and a longitudinal study of emergent adults (the COVID study) (N = 201 participants aged 18-30). Thus, the present study aimed to examine the concurrent validity (Body Dissatisfaction Scale, children's mother-reported body dissatisfaction, Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults - Appearance Subscale), convergent validity (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, Eating Disorder-15, the Patient Health Questionnaire version 4 and 8), and test-retest reliability of single items measuring appearance satisfaction.
resultsIn study 1, the single-item measure showed good concurrent validity with the Body Dissatisfaction Scale for both boys and girls, and moderate concurrent validity with mother-reported body dissatisfaction for girls only. In study 2, acceptable - yet lower - convergent validity was established in a female population with probable eating disorders, and strong convergent and concurrent validity in a small healthy control population. In study 3, strong significant convergent and concurrent validity were established for the implemented single-item assessment in emerging adults with and without a self-reported eating disorder diagnosis, as well as acceptable test-retest reliability.
conclusionThese results provide insights into the utility of two highly similar single-item assessments of appearance satisfaction and give preliminary support for the use of similar measures in research (specifically for female non-eating disorder populations) when necessary.
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