Background:

The aim of the study was to identify the reliability and validity of the SAPF questionnaire and the Stunkard rating scale in determining self-perceived physical appearance and the degree of body dissatisfaction in a group of elderly Spanish people.

Methods:

Both instruments were adapted to Spanish people and were administered twice to a group of 86 elderly people. Their reliability and validity were assessed by means of the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Cronbach's alpha and Spearman's rho coefficient, from the physical fitness level of the participants and their body mass index (BMI). ANOVA test was carried out to compare the variables with normal distribution.

Results:

The questionnaire and the Stunkard rating scale showed a good test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.78 and ICC = 0.8, respectively). SAPF and fitness level showed a significant, albeit weak, association (rho = 0.424), while the association between self-perception of body composition and BMI was moderately strong (rho = 0.727). The self-perceived physical appearance of 59.5 % of the sample was acknowledged to be normal, 11.4 % perceived it as bad and 29.1 % as good. Only 27.1 % were satisfied with their body image, while the other participants showed a desire to lose the equivalent weight of one (47.06 %), two (22.35 %) or three or more (3.5 %) points in the Stunkard scale.

Conclusion:

The versions of both instruments adapted to Spanish persons showed reliability and validity, and showed that it was possible to determine that a large part of the sample was dissatisfied with their body image. BMI had a significant influence in this regard.