Psychometric evaluation of the Body Change Questionnaire for adolescents

This study aimed to examine construct validity, internal consistency, and reproducibility of the Body Change Questionnaire (BCQ). A total of 439 female and male adolescents (13-22 years of age) were evaluated. Construct validity was assessed by exploratory factor analysis and correlation between the scores of the BCQ and the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and Scale Silhouettes (SS). Reliability was assessed through internal consistency and reproducibility using test-retest and intra-class correlation. The scale presented a six factor structure that almost entirely accounted for the instrument's subscales. Correlations for the total sample between BCQ and scores of the other questionnaires ranged from 0.37 to 0.46. Internal consistency varied from 0.78 to 0.96 for each of the factors, and intra-class correlation was consistent with good reproducibility. The test-retest scores showed no statistically significant differences for the total sample or according to sex. The BCQ showed good psychometric qualities for Brazilian adolescents.