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Development and cross-cultural validation of the Goal Content for Weight Maintenance Scale (GCWMS)

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Abstract

Purpose

Long-term weight management requires sustained engagement with energy-balance-related behaviours. According to self-determination theory, behaviour goals can support or undermine motivation depending on the quality of their content (i.e., extrinsic and intrinsic motivation). This study aimed to develop and validate the goal content for weight loss maintenance scale (GCWMS).

Methods

The GCWMS was administered to 1511 participants who had achieved clinically significant weight losses and were taking part in a large weight loss maintenance study: the NoHoW Trial (ISRCTN88405328). The scale derived from two well-established questionnaires regarding exercise goals. Construct validity was examined for 4 theory-driven domains: Health Management, Challenge, Image, and Social Recognition. Split-sample confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the factorial validity and multi-group measurement invariance (configural, metric, scalar, and residual invariance). The reliability estimates were also assessed, and discriminant validity was evaluated using 2 conceptually related questionnaires.

Results

The first analysis showed a poor fit of the original factorial structure. Subsequent investigation with a new specified model indicated close fit to the data after removal of 3 items χ2(58) = 599.982; p < .001; χ2/df = 10.345; CFI = 0.940; GFI = 0.941; SRMR = 0.063; RMSEA = 0.079 (LL = 0.073; UL = .084). Good internal consistency was achieved in all subscales (α > .775), convergent and divergent validity were verified through associations with other theoretical related constructs. Findings from multi-group invariance test demonstrated that the specified model of GCWMS achieved full measurement invariance for gender but did not support residual invariance across countries.

Conclusion

Findings support the hypothesised four-dimension structure of the GCWMS, confirming reliability and multi-group invariance in factor structure. Analysis also supports valid group means comparisons on latent factors at gender and at cross-cultural level. Ways to improve the quality of the scale are discussed.

Level of evidence

Level V, cross-sectional descriptive

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the partners in the NoHoW consortium for input and translation of the scale into Portuguese and Danish, and Ipsos MORI for building the online survey and recruitment of the sample.

Funding

The presented work had financial support from European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 643309. The NoHoW project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant agreement no. 643309. The material presented and views expressed here are the responsibility of the author(s) only. The EU Commission takes no responsibility for any use made of the information set out. Marta M. Marques is funded by a Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship (EDGE program; grant agreement No. 713567).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Interdisciplinar para o Estudo da Performance Humana (CIPER), Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Cruz Quebrada, Portugal

    Jorge Encantado, Marta M. Marques, António L. Palmeira & Pedro J. Teixeira

  2. Applied Psychology Research Center Capabilities & Inclusion (APPsyCI), ISPA – Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal

    Jorge Encantado & Maria J. Gouveia

  3. Trinity College Dublin, ADAPT Centre & Trinity Centre for Practice and Healthcare Innovation, College Green, Dublin, Ireland

    Marta M. Marques

  4. Centro de Investigação em Desporto, Educação Física, Exercício e Saúde (CIDEFES), Universidade Lusófona, Lisboa, Portugal

    António L. Palmeira

  5. Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

    Simon J. Sebire

  6. Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    R. James Stubbs

  7. Research Unit for Dietary Studies at The Parker Institute Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Part of the Copenhagen University Hospital-The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Berit L. Heitmann

  8. Section for General Medicine, The Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Berit L. Heitmann

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  1. Jorge Encantado
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  4. Simon J. Sebire
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  6. R. James Stubbs
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  8. Maria J. Gouveia
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Jorge Encantado or Marta M. Marques.

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Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest. R. James Stubbs consults for Slimming World through the University of Leeds. Marta Marques also conducted consultancy work with Slimming World. Slimming World were a partner of the project to aid recruitment within the UK but will not be involved in the analysis and interpretation of the trial.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Institutional Ethics Committees at the Universities of Leeds (17-0082; 27 February 2017), Lisbon (17/2016; 20 February 2017) and Capital Region of Denmark (H-16030495, 8 March 2017) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the trial (trial registration number ISRCTN88405328).

Authorship

The order of authorship is as follows: Jorge Encantado; Marta M. Marques; António L. Palmeira; Simon J. Sebire; Pedro J. Teixeira; R. James Stubbs; Berit L. Heitmann; Maria J. Gouveia.

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Encantado, J., Marques, M.M., Palmeira, A.L. et al. Development and cross-cultural validation of the Goal Content for Weight Maintenance Scale (GCWMS). Eat Weight Disord 26, 2737–2748 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-021-01148-x

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