Assessment of weight and eating concerns in Norwegian adolescents

The aim of the present study was to test the properties of an instrument th at assesses concerns about weight and eating without reference to dieting b ehavior. A short instrument, the Weight and Eating Concerns Inventory (WECI ) was examined in a sample of 569 boys and 548 girls aged 11 to 15 years. C onfirmatory factor analyses with LISREL showed a better fit with a version of the instrument that did not include a reference to dieting behavior, com pared to a version that included such a reference. This was true for both b oys and girls, irrespective of their age group. However, the results indica ted that both versions should be used with caution for young boys. The inte rnal consistency of the WECI (that is, the version without reference to die ting) was satisfactory, ranging from 0.78 to 0.86 for girls and from 0.68 t o 0.73 for boys. The WECI correlated quite substantially with negative self -evaluations and depression for boys and girls in all the age groups assess ed, suggesting that high scores on the WECI may indicate a problem that goe s beyond worries or concerns, and should be taken seriously. In general, gi rls reported more of these concerns than boys, and the correlation between the WECI and dieting was stronger among girls compared to boys.