Use of the weight efficacy lifestyle questionnaire with African American women: validation and extension of previous findings.
While the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire (WEL) shows promise as a measure of self-efficacy for eating control, there is a lack of research examining the psychometric properties of this measure with ethnic minorities. The current study examined the WEL with a sample of 144 overweight and obese African American females. Analyses indicated similar self-efficacy levels compared to predominantly Caucasian samples. Supporting the validity of the WEL, participants undergoing obesity treatment demonstrated modest improvement in WEL scores, while standard care participants showed no changes in self-efficacy over time. Factor analysis indicated a four-factor structure rather than the five factors previously found. The four-factor structure accounted for 61.85% of the variance. Results indicate the WEL may be a valid measure of self-efficacy for overweight and obese African American women, although researchers should be mindful of the variation in scale properties when using the WEL with this population.
Center for Primary Care Research, Earl K. Long Medical Center, Louisiana State University, 5825 Airline Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. gdutto1@lsu.edu
Gareth R
GR
Dutton
Pamela Davis
PD
Martin
Paula C
PC
Rhode
Phillip J
PJ
Brantley
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015431:Weight Loss