Development of the body checking questionnaire: a self-report measure of body checking behaviors

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a brief self-report inventory to assess body checking behaviors.

Method: Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the 23-item Body Checking Questionnaire (BCQ) was developed. The BCQ measures the global construct of body checking behaviors with three correlated subfactors that assess checking related to overall appearance, checking of specific body parts, and idiosyncratic checking rituals.

Results: The BCQ was found to have good test-retest reliability (.94) and the subfactors had good internal consistency (.88, .92, and .83). The measure correlated highly with other measures of negative body image and eating disorders, demonstrating its concurrent validity. Additionally, the BCQ was found to differentiate normal controls and eating disorder patients, as well as nonclinical participants scoring high and low on a measure of concern with body size and dieting.

Discussion: Due to the potential role of ritualistic body checking in the maintenance of body dissatisfaction by directing excessive attention to body shape/weight, the BCQ may prove to be a useful clinical tool in the assessment and treatment of eating disorder patients.