Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire-Short Form

Background: Currently, in low- and middle-income countries, the problem of overweight and obesity is increasing at alarming rate. Along with well-known factors, psychosocial factors such as low self-efficacy highly associated with these problems. Hence, it is necessary to assess individual self-efficacy in weight management consultations using valid instrument. The aim of this study was to determine psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire-Short Form (WEL-SF). Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out on 400 women referring to urban community health centers in Kerman Province, Iran. Data collected using a questionnaire contained demographic data and Persian version of WEL-SF. The reliability of the questionnaire determined using Cronbach's alpha. The construct validity evaluated by exploratory principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 19 and Lisrel 8.8. Results: Internal consistency of WEL-SF was 0.83 using Cronbach's alpha. In the PCA, two factors were extracted with the total amount of 62.6% explained variance. In confirmatory factor analysis, the model had acceptable goodness of fit indices. Conclusions: The Persian version of WEL-SF had excellent psychometric properties.