Abstract:
INTRODUCTION: The global obesity burden is rising alarmingly due to unhealthy lifestyle behaviours and environmental factors. To date, prevention and treatment efforts to combat obesity mainly focus on lifestyle modifications through diet and physical activity. Eating self-efficacy has been related to weight loss and is considered a significant predictor of weight loss in an individual. The Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire Short Form (WEL-SF) is an American instrument used for research and clinical purposes to measure self-efficacy for controlling eating in specific situations. OBJECTIVES: Translation, cultural adaptation and validation of the WEL-SF. METHODS: A sample of 100 women aged ≥ 18 years who were attempting to reduce their weight through self-monitored non-therapeutic diet control in Panadura Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Area, Sri Lanka was recruited using a purposive sampling method. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire with socio-demographic information and Sinhala version of the WEL-SF. The construct validity was evaluated by Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), while the reliability of the scale was determined by Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The eight-item WEL-SF showed a one-factor solution by EFA. All the items on the scale were retained. The model explained a total variance of 59.35%. The internal consistency of WEL-SF was 0.905 using Cronbach’s alpha. The test-retest reliability of the instrument had a high Spearman's correlation of more than 0.7. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS: The Sinhala version of WEL-SF for women to assess self-efficacy levels in overeating appears to be psychometrically valid with high reliability. This instrument can be recommended as a screening tool to assess self-efficacy levels in women striving for a healthy weight.
