Psychometric properties of a Spanish translation of the Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS) in adults from Colombia

Abstract

The 7-item Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS) measures the extent of an individual’s appreciation of their body for what it can do and is capable of doing. Although the FAS has been widely used in diverse linguistic contexts, it has not been previously translated into Spanish. Here, we examined the psychometric properties of a novel Spanish translation of the FAS in Colombian adults. A total of 1420 university students from Colombia (804 women, 616 men) completed the FAS, as well as additional validated measures. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses in separate subsamples supported a unidimensional model of FAS scores. The FAS evidenced scalar invariance across gender identity, with men having significantly higher FAS scores than women (Cohen’s d = 0.18). FAS scores were also found to have adequate composite reliability, as well as adequate convergent (significant associations with body appreciation, appearance evaluation, and eating disorder psychopathology) and concurrent validity (significant associations with self-esteem, life satisfaction, and gratitude). Functionality appreciation incrementally predicted life satisfaction in women, but not in men. Overall, these results suggest that the Spanish FAS is a psychometrically valid and reliable tool for the assessment of functionality appreciation in university-aged populations from Colombia.