PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILDRENS PHYSICAL SELF-CONCEPT SCALE

The development of a healthy eating style and physical fitness regimen in adolescence or adulthood might be contingent on physical self-conc ept in childhood. Most available measures of physical self-concept are inappropriate for use with 1st and 2nd grade children, so the present study developed, piloted, and partially validated the 27-item Childre n's Physical Self-Concept Scale (CPSS), which assesses Global physical self-concept and subscales of Physical Performance, Physical Appearan ce, and Weight Control behaviors in children 6 to 11 years of age. The test exhibits adequate test-retest reliability and internal consisten cy. A comparison of 316 normal and overweight children indicated that normal-weight children obtained higher Global physical self-concept sc ores and higher subscale scores. In addition, the CPSS distinguished t est groups of diabetic, overweight, and normal-weight children in a co ntrasted-groups analysis.