Fat Attitudes Assessment Toolkit (FAAT)

doi:10.1017/9781009398275.078

Chapter 77 - Fat Attitudes Assessment Toolkit (FAAT)

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 November 2025

Patricia Cain ,

Graeme Ditchburn and

Ngaire Donaghue

Edited by

Virginia Ramseyer Winter ,

Tracy L. Tylka and

Antoinette M. Landor

Show author details

Virginia Ramseyer Winter: Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Tracy L. Tylka: Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Antoinette M. Landor: Affiliation:
University of Missouri

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Summary

The 49-item Fat Attitudes Assessment Toolkit (FAAT; Cain et al., 2022) is a multidimensional, non-stigmatizing measure of contemporary attitudes towards fatness and fat people, some of which are targeted in stigma reduction research. The FAAT can be administered online or in-person to adults and is free to use. This chapter first discusses the development of the FAAT and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. More specifically, the FAAT has a 9-factor structure within exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses: Empathy (7 items), Activism Orientation (7 items), Size Acceptance (6 items), Attractiveness (5 items), Critical Health (5 items), General Complexity (6 items), Socioeconomic Complexity (3 items), Responsibility (6 items), and Body Acceptance (4 items). Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity support the use of the FAAT. Next, this chapter provides the FAAT items in their entirety, instructions for administration and scoring, and the item response scale. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and contact information, are available for readers.

Keywords

Fat Attitudes Assessment Toolkit FAAT fat attitudes fat acceptance fat-positive anti-fat weight stigma “obesity,” items scale development psychometric evidence factor structure reliability validity administration scoring

Information

Type: Chapter
Information: Handbook of Body Image-Related Measures , pp. 233 - 235

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009398275.078 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2025

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References

Alleva, J. M., Karos, K., Meadows, A., Waldén, M. I., Stutterheim, S. E., Lissandrello, F., & Atkinson, M. J. (2021). “What can her body do?” Reducing weight stigma by appreciating another person’s body functionality. PloS One, 16(5), e0251507. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251507.CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

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Cain, P., Donaghue, N., & Ditchburn, G. (2022). Development and validation of the Fat Attitudes Assessment Toolkit (FAAT): A multidimensional non-stigmatizing measure of contemporary attitudes toward fatness and fat people. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 52(12), 1121–1145. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12882.CrossRef Google Scholar

Cain, P. (2024). Should we ask who’s fat? An argument for knowing your sample in stigma intervention research. Presentation at the 10th International Weight Stigma Conference, June 16–17, Colchester, UK.CrossRef Google Scholar

Crandall, C. S. (1994). Prejudice against fat people: Ideology and self-interest. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 882–894. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.66.5.882.CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Lewis, R. J., Cash, T. F., Jacobi, L., & Bubb-Lewis, C. (1995). Prejudice toward fat people: The development and validation of the Antifat Attitudes Test. Obesity Research, 5(4), 297–307. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1550-8528.1997.tb00555.x.CrossRef Google Scholar

Morrison, T., & O’Connor, W. E. (1999). Psychometric properties of a scale measuring negative attitudes toward overweight individuals. The Journal of Psychology, 139, 436–445. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224549909598403.Google Scholar PubMed

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