WEIGHT CONCERNS SCALE (WCS): VALIDATION OF THE ONLINE VERSION APPLIED TO NUTRITION STUDENTS

Background and objectives: The body image is a multidimensional construct. One aspect of this construct is weight concerns. The Weight Concerns Scale (WCS) aims to evaluate the degree of concern with body weight. The aim of this study was estimate the reliability and validity of WCS's online version in female Nutrition students. Methods: 102 students from a Brazilian private university completed the WCS in the online format. Information about the age, economic level, weight and height were also collected. The validity of the scale was measured by means of factorial and convergent validity. Confirmatory factor analysis of scale was carried by using goodness-of-fit indices: the chi-square by degrees of freedom ratio (c2/df), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Normed Fit Index (NFI) and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA). Convergent validity was estimated by Average Variance Extracted (AVE) and Composite Reliability (CR) and the internal consistency by standardized Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α). Results: The average age was 22.61±5.04 years, 4.90% were underweight, 66.67% eutrophic, 18.63% were overweight and 9.80% were obese. The WCS showed adequate factorial adjustment in the total sample (l=0.49-0.84; c2/gl=1.832; CFI=0.969; NFI=0.936; RMSEA=0.091). The convergent validity (AVE=0.43; CR=0.78) was bellow recommendations and the internal consistency was adequate (α=0.77). The prevalence of eating disorder risk was 33.33%. Conclusions: The online version of WCS showed satisfactory validity and adequate reliability. When it comes to the developing of eating disorders, the sample has presented a high prevalence of risk.