Body Appreciation Scale (BAS)

What is the Body Appreciation Scale?

Over the past decade, research on body image has grown significantly, emphasizing it as a distinct body appreciation construct rather than simply the absence of negative body image (Zarate, et al., 2021). A key component of this construct is latent body appreciation, accepting and holding favorable opinions of one’s body shape while rejecting unrealistic beauty standards.

Studies, particularly among college women, show that greater body appreciation is closely linked to improved well-being and healthy behaviors, making it a central measure of positive body image from a positive psychology perspective (Zarate, et al., 2021).

Psychometric properties revealed that higher body appreciation was linked to higher life satisfaction and greater relative income inequality, indicating that the BAS effectively captures a nearly universal understanding of body appreciation (Swami & Chamorro-Premuzic, 2008).

The Body Appreciation Scale is a 13-item measure that is used to assess an individual's attitudes toward their body. It focuses on four different measures that capture the extent to which an individual:

1. Holds positive attitudes toward their bodies
2. Accepts their bodies in spite of their body shape, weight, and imperfections
3. Respects their bodies by engaging in healthy behaviors and attending to body needs
4. Rejects unrealistically thin images portrayed in the media, protecting their body image in the process.

How to use our Body Appreciation Scale template

To use our free and printable BAS template, follow these steps:

Step 1: Access the template

Access the Body Appreciation Scale template by clicking "Use template", allowing you to edit the resource via the Carepatron app. For a PDF copy, choose "Download."

Step 2: Familiarize yourself with the template

The template is designed to guide you through the standard Body Appreciation Scale, composed of 13 items. It includes space for essential patient information, such as name and date.

Step 3: Ask the patient to complete

Give the template to the patient to complete. Ensure that they fill out their personal details. Before patient completion, emphasize that there is no right or wrong answer; rather, it is about understanding their authentic answers. Explain that it is crucial to provide honest answers in order to attain an accurate result. Be sure to guide the individual through the template, helping them with questions if necessary whilst ensuring not to suggest any answers.

Step 4: Score their answers

Calculate the individual's score by calculating the mean of item responses to obtain an overall body appreciation score.

Scoring

Scoring the BAS is simple and efficient, making it suitable for educational, therapeutic, and research purposes. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 ("never") to 5 ("always").

To ensure accurate results, all questions should be answered as thoroughly as possible. The overall body appreciation score is calculated by averaging the item responses, with higher scores indicating greater body appreciation (Avalos et al., 2005).

Next steps after using this scale

After administering the BAS, here are some next steps you can take:

Review and analyze responses

The patient's total score will be reviewed and totaled, with a higher score indicating greater body appreciation. Results can be interpreted in line with other relevant psychological tests that can support or enhance the findings. Please note that this is not a diagnostic tool.

Discuss results with patient

Professionals may open a sensitive and nonjudgmental conversation to discuss the results of the PVQ. The professional will try to get a well-rounded understanding of the patient, considering the broader social determinants of the person. This can guide professionals in targeted treatment and be used to support the individual in encouraging a positive attitude towards body appreciation.

References

Avalos, L., Tylka, T. L., & Wood-Barcalow, N. (2005). The Body Appreciation Scale: Development and psychometric evaluation. Body Image, 2(3), 285–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2005.06.002

Paterna, A., Alcaraz-Ibáñez, M., Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M., & Sicilia, Á. (2021). Internalization of body shape ideals and body dissatisfaction: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The International journal of eating disorders, 54(9), 1575–1600. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23568

Swami, V., & Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2008). Factor structure of the Body Appreciation Scale among Malaysian women. Body Image, 5(4), 409–413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2008.04.005

Zarate, D., Marmara, J., Potoczny, C., Hosking, W., & Stavropoulos, V. (2021). Body Appreciation Scale (BAS-2): measurement invariance across genders and item response theory examination. BMC Psychology, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-021-00609-3