Brazilian Photographic Figure Rating Scale for Men: Psychometric Investigation.

As a follow-up to an earlier study from this research group involving women, this study examined the reliability and validity of the Brazilian Photographic Figure Rating Scale for Men (BPFRS-M) for evaluating men's body perception and dissatisfaction. In both versions of the Brazilian Photographic Figure Rating Scale (BPFRS), respondents viewed eight photographic images (seven distorted and one accurate) of themselves in standard poses and then offered self-ratings. In both versions, 10 experts assessed content validity and demonstrated high agreement (defined by ratings of 4-5 on a 5-point scale) that BPFRS items measured underlying constructs: and experts showed high (>70%) interrater agreement. For this version, participants were 149 Brazilian men (Mean = 22.4; SD = 2.7 years). Pearson correlations demonstrated convergence between the BPFRS-M and two related scales of men's body image. Positive correlations ( p = .0001) were found between actual and respondent-perceived body mass index (BMI). Test-retest and Kappa Index confirmed temporal stability. The BPFRS-M can accurately and reliably assess body perception and dissatisfaction in young men.

Brazilian Photographic Figure Rating Scale: Development and Psychometric Investigation.

This study reports on the development, reliability, and validity of a new instrument for obtaining respondents' body image perception, the Brazilian Photographic Figure Rating Scale (BPFRS). This instrument consists of eight photographic images (seven distorted and one accurate) of respondents themselves in standardized poses, taken just prior to requesting respondents to make self-ratings on the instrument. Participants involved in developing and evaluating this instrument were 142 Brazilian women (age 21.8 ± 3.0 years). Ten experts assessed content validity and showed high agreement (defined by ratings of 4-5 on a 5-point scale) with items measuring underlying constructs and high (>70%) interrater agreement. A Pearson correlation demonstrated convergence between the BPFRS and other related scales; a positive correlation was also evident between actual and respondent-perceived body mass index. Both test-retest and Kappa confirmed temporal stability. These findings indicate that the BPFRS can accurately and reliably assess body image dissatisfaction and body perception in young women by deploying realistic, personalized images as stimuli for self-ratings. Implications for further research and treatment of body image problems are discussed.

Combined training (strength plus aerobic) potentiates a reduction in body fat but only functional training reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in postmenopausal women with a similar training load.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of combined (CT; strength plus aerobic) and functional training (FT) on the body composition and metabolic profile with a similar training load in postmenopausal women. The participants were divided into three groups: CT (n=20), FT (n=17), and control group (CG, n=15). The trunk FM, fat mass (FM), percentage of FM (FM%), and fat-free mass were estimated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The metabolic profile, glucose, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) were assessed. There were main effects of time in trunk fat, FM, and FM% (P<0.05). There were statistically significant interaction for FM (P=0.015), FM% (P=0.017) with lower values for CT group. For LDL-c, there was significant interaction (P=0.002) with greater values for FT group in relation to CG and CT. Furthermore, when performed the post hoc test on the "mean absolute differences" (Δ), it can observed statistically significant difference between FT, CT, and CG (-13.0±16.5 mg/dL vs. 4.8±18.4 mg/dL vs. 9.2±18.8 mg/dL, P<0.05). In conclusion, when training loads are equivalent CT potentiated a reduction in FM and FM%, however, only FT reduced LDL-c in postmenopausal women.