TY  - JOUR
A1  - Zuba, Anna
A1  - Warschburger, Petra
T1  - Weight bias internalization across weight categories among school-aged children
BT  - validation of the weight bias internalization scale for children
JF  - Body image : an international journal of research
N2  - Anti-fat bias is widespread and is linked to the internalization of weight bias and psychosocial problems. The purpose of this study was to examine the internalization of weight bias among children across weight categories and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Weight Bias Internalization Scale for Children (WBIS-C). Data were collected from 1484 primary school children and their parents. WBIS-C demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha = .86) after exclusion of Item 1. The unitary factor structure was supported using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (factorial validity). Girls and overweight children reported higher WBIS-C scores in comparison to boys and non-overweight peers (known-groups validity). Convergent validity was shown by significant correlations with psychosocial problems. Internalization of weight bias explained additional variance in different indicators of psychosocial well-being. The results suggest that the WBIS-C is a psychometrically sound and informative tool to assess weight bias internalization among children.
KW  - Internalization of weight bias
KW  - Weight stigma
KW  - Psychological functioning
KW  - Psychometric properties
KW  - Children
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.02.008
SN  - 1740-1445
SN  - 1873-6807
VL  - 25
SP  - 56
EP  - 65
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Amsterdam
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Zuba, Anna
A1  - Warschburger, Petra
T1  - The role of weight teasing and weight bias internalization in psychological functioning: a prospective study among school-aged children
JF  - European child and adolescent psychiatry : offical journal of the European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
N2  - Weight-related teasing is a widespread phenomenon in childhood, and might foster the internalization of weight bias. The goal of this study was to examine the role of weight teasing and weight bias internalization as mediators between weight status and negative psychological sequelae, such as restrained eating and emotional and conduct problems in childhood. Participants included 546 female (52%) and 501 (48%) male children aged 7-11 and their parents, who completed surveys assessing weight teasing, weight bias internalization, restrained eating behaviors, and emotional and conduct problems at two points of measurement, approximately 2 years apart. To examine the hypothesized mediation, a prospective design using structural equation modeling was applied. As expected, the experience of weight teasing and the internalization of weight bias were mediators in the relationship between weight status and psychosocial problems. This pattern was observed independently of gender or weight status. Our findings suggest that the experience of weight teasing and internalization of weight bias is more important than weight status in explaining psychological functioning among children and indicate a need for appropriate prevention and intervention approaches.
KW  - Weight teasing
KW  - Weight bias internalization
KW  - Psychological functioning
KW  - Childhood
KW  - Prospective study
Y1  - 2017
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-017-0982-2
SN  - 1018-8827
SN  - 1435-165X
VL  - 26
SP  - 1245
EP  - 1255
PB  - Springer
CY  - New York
ER  -