Development and validation of the Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Measure (BEECOM) among college women

We constructed and validated a measure of comparison dimensions associated with eating pathology, namely, the Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Measure (BEECOM). Participants were 441 undergraduate women. In Study 1, items were generated and refined via exploratory factor analysis, yielding three interpretable factors (i.e., Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation). Confirmatory factor analysis was then used to confirm the three-factor structure of the BEECOM and to investigate the potential presence of a higher-order factor. Given that the lower-order factors loaded strongly onto a higher-order factor, it is appropriate to use a total BEECOM score, in addition to subscale scores. Further, the BEECOM's scores yielded evidence of internal consistency and construct validity in this sample. Study 2 demonstrated two-week test–retest reliability of the BEECOM among college women. Overall, the BEECOM demonstrated good psychometric properties and may be useful for more comprehensively assessing eating disorder-related social comparison behavior.

► A measure of comparison dimensions associated with eating pathology was constructed.
► The measure is called the Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Measure (BEECOM).
► Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses upheld the BEECOM's 3-factor structure.
► The BEECOM's scores were found to be internally consistent and stable over a 2-week period.
► Construct (convergent, concurrent, and discriminant) and incremental validity were also upheld.