Development of a Short Obesity Knowledge Scale Using Four Different Response Formats

This study examined the validity and reliability of a short obesity knowledge scale. A 12-item test was developed around the four aspects of obesity: etiology of obesity; diseases related to obesity; weight loss techniques; and general information on obesity. Four forms were developed: true/false, true/false/uncertain, multiple choice, and Likert response. Comparisons of the four test formats with 187 subjects revealed a variety of internal reliabilities, stability reliabilities, item discriminations, and readability scores.