ORIGINAL PAPER
The Polish Version of the Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Measure: Adaptation, Validation, and Psychometric Evaluation
1
Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
2
Faculty of Philosophy and Education, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany
3
Institute of Psychology, Ignatianum University in Cracow, Cracow, Poland
Submission date: 2025-07-31
Final revision date: 2025-11-20
Acceptance date: 2025-11-25
Online publication date: 2026-02-11
Corresponding author
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
The study aimed to adapt the Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Measure (BEECOM) for the Polish popu-lation and assess its psychometric properties, including factor structure, reliability, validity, and temporal stability. Social comparison processes, particularly in the domains of body image, eating, and exercise, are increasingly recognized as im-portant factors influencing psychological well-being and the development of disordered eating behaviors.
Participants and procedure:
Study 1 involved 408 participants (Mage = 26.26, SD = 9.60; 49.9% female) and focused on scale adaptation through explora-tory and confirmatory factor analyses. Study 2 (N = 70; Mage = 41.23, SD = 13.21) and Study 3 (N = 129; Mage = 20.68, SD = 2.77) assessed the temporal stability of the 18-, 12-, and 9-item BEECOM versions across three one-month intervals.
Results:
A revised factor structure led to the Polish BEECOM-R, which demonstrated good internal consistency, convergent validity (with PACS and SATAQ-3), and measurement invariance across gender and age groups. Temporal stability analyses showed satisfactory to strong consistency (r = .48-.87) and minimal mean-level change, though some variability appeared in the Body and Exercise subscales. The 18- and 9-item versions outperformed the 12-item version in terms of stability.
Conclusions:
The Polish BEECOM-R is a valid and reliable tool for measuring appearance-related social comparisons and can be effective-ly used in both cross-sectional and longitudinal research.
The study aimed to adapt the Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Measure (BEECOM) for the Polish popu-lation and assess its psychometric properties, including factor structure, reliability, validity, and temporal stability. Social comparison processes, particularly in the domains of body image, eating, and exercise, are increasingly recognized as im-portant factors influencing psychological well-being and the development of disordered eating behaviors.
Participants and procedure:
Study 1 involved 408 participants (Mage = 26.26, SD = 9.60; 49.9% female) and focused on scale adaptation through explora-tory and confirmatory factor analyses. Study 2 (N = 70; Mage = 41.23, SD = 13.21) and Study 3 (N = 129; Mage = 20.68, SD = 2.77) assessed the temporal stability of the 18-, 12-, and 9-item BEECOM versions across three one-month intervals.
Results:
A revised factor structure led to the Polish BEECOM-R, which demonstrated good internal consistency, convergent validity (with PACS and SATAQ-3), and measurement invariance across gender and age groups. Temporal stability analyses showed satisfactory to strong consistency (r = .48-.87) and minimal mean-level change, though some variability appeared in the Body and Exercise subscales. The 18- and 9-item versions outperformed the 12-item version in terms of stability.
Conclusions:
The Polish BEECOM-R is a valid and reliable tool for measuring appearance-related social comparisons and can be effective-ly used in both cross-sectional and longitudinal research.
REFERENCES (46)
1.
Brown, T. A. (2015). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research. Guilford Publications.
2.
Byrne, B. M. (2016). Structural equation modelling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming (3rd ed.). Routledge.
3.
Byrne, B. M., & Crombie, G. (2003). Modeling and testing change: an introduction to the latent growth curve model. Understanding Statistics, 2, 177–203. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328....
4.
Cash, T. F., & Smolak, L. (2011). Understanding body images: Historical and contemporary perspectives. In T. F. Cash & L. Smolak (Eds.), Body image: a handbook of science, practice, and prevention (pp. 3–11). Guilford Press.
5.
Davison, T. E., & McCabe, M. P. (2005). Relationships between men’s and women’s body image and their psycho-logical, social, and sexual functioning. Sex Roles, 52, 463–475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199....
6.
Dzielska, A., Mazur, J., Nałęcz, H., Oblacińska, A., & Strucińska, M. (2017). Polish adaptation and validation of the Physical Appearance Comparison Scale (PACS) – an analysis among young people in late adolescence in the context of obesity. Developmental Period Medicine, 21, 213–223. https://doi.org/10.34763/devpe....
7.
Faith, M. S., Leone, M. A., & Allison, D. B. (1997). The effects of self-generated comparison targets, BMI, and so-cial comparison tendencies on body image appraisal. Eating Disorders, 5, 128–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/106402....
8.
Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women’s body image concerns and mood. Body Image, 13, 38–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.body....
9.
Fatt, S. J., Fardouly, J., & Rapee, R. M. (2019). #malefitspo: Links between viewing fitspiration posts, muscular-ideal internalisation, appearance comparisons, body satisfaction, and exercise motivation in men. New Media & Society, 21, 1311–1325. https://doi.org/10.1177/146144....
10.
Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7, 117–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872....
11.
Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., & Bardone-Cone, A. M. (2014). One-year temporal stability and predictive and incre-mental validity of the Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Measure (BEECOM) among college women. Body Image, 11, 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.body....
12.
Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Bardone-Cone, A. M., & Harney, M. B. (2012). Development and validation of the Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Measure (BEECOM) among college women. Body Image, 9, 476–487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.body....
13.
Gibbons, F. X., & Buunk, B. P. (1999). Individual differences in social comparison: Development of a scale of social comparison orientation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 129–142. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3....
14.
Harriger, J. A., Evans, J. A., Thompson, J. K., & Tylka, T. L. (2022). The dangers of the rabbit hole: Reflections on social media as a portal into a distorted world of edited bodies and eating disorder risk and the role of algo-rithms. Body Image, 41, 292–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.body....
15.
Hertzog, C., Lindenberger, U., Ghisletta, P., & von Oertzen, T. (2006). On the power of multivariate latent growth curve models to detect correlated change. Psychological Methods, 11, 244–252. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-9....
16.
Hertzog, C., von Oertzen, T., Ghisletta, P., & Lindenberger, U. (2008). Evaluating the power of latent growth curve models to detect individual differences in change. Structural Equation Modeling, 15, 541–563. https://doi.org/10.1080/107055....
17.
Hornowska, E., & Paluchowski, W. J. (2004). Kulturowa adaptacja testów psychologicznych [Cultural adaptation of psychological tests]. In J. Brzeziński (Ed.), Metodologia badań psychologicznych. Wybór tekstów [Psychologi-cal research methodology. Selected texts] (pp. 151–191). Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
18.
Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria to fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional crite-ria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/107055....
19.
Hudson, T. A., Ferreira, L. K., Amaral, A. C. S., & Ferreira, M. E. C. (2023). Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Measure (BEECOM): Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties among Brazilian fe-male university students. Body Image, 45, 323–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.body....
20.
Izydorczyk, B., & Lizińczyk, S. (2020). The Polish adaptation of the socio-cultural attitudes towards appearance SATAQ 3 questionnaire. Health Psychology Report, 8, 68–82. https://doi.org/10.5114/hpr.20....
21.
Jöreskog, K. G., & Sörbom, D. (1993). LISREL 8: Structural equation modeling with the SIMPLIS command language. Scientific Software International.
22.
Keery, H., Van den Berg, P., & Thompson, J. K. (2004). An evaluation of the Tripartite Influence Model of body dissatisfaction and eating disturbance with adolescent girls. Body Image, 1, 237–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.body....
23.
Lin, L. F., & Kulik, J. A. (2002). Social comparison and women’s body satisfaction. Basic and Applied Social Psychol-ogy, 24, 115–123. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15324....
24.
Lodder, P., Kupper, N., Mols, F., Emons, W. H., & Wicherts, J. M. (2022). Assessing the temporal stability of psy-chological constructs: an illustration of type D personality, anxiety and depression. Journal of Research in Per-sonality, 101, 104299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.....
25.
MacCallum, R. C., Browne, M. W., & Sugawara, H. M. (1996). Power analysis and determination of sample size for covariance structure modeling. Psychological Methods, 1, 130–149. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-9....
26.
McCreary, D. R., & Saucier, D. M. (2009). Drive for muscularity, body comparison, and social physique anxiety in men and women. Body Image, 6, 24–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.body....
27.
McLean, S. A., Paxton, S. J., Wertheim, E. H., & Masters, J. (2015). Photoshopping the selfie: Self photo editing and photo investment are associated with body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 48, 1132–1140. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22....
28.
Moreau, D. (2025). Temporal stability in measurements matters only for stable constructs. Nature Reviews Psy-chology, 4, 361. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159....
29.
O’Brien, K. S., Caputi, P., Minto, R., Peoples, G., Hooper, C., Kell, S., & Sawley, E. (2009). Upward and downward physical appearance comparisons: Development of scales and examination of predictive qualities. Body Image, 6, 201–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.body....
30.
Paterna, A., Alcaraz-Ibáñez, M., & Sicilia, A. (2023). Psychometric examination of the Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Measure (BEECOM) among Spanish adolescents and young adults. Nutrients, 15, 626. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu1503....
31.
Peng, C. T., Wu, T. Y., Chen, Y., & Atkin, D. J. (2019). Comparing and modeling via social media: The social influ-ences of fitspiration on male Instagram users’ work out intention. Computers in Human Behavior, 99, 156–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.....
32.
Polivy, J. (2017). What’s that you’re eating? Social comparison and eating behavior. Journal of Eating Disorders, 5, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337....
33.
Rancourt, D., Schaefer, L. M., Bosson, J. K., & Thompson, J. K. (2016). Differential impact of upward and down-ward comparisons on diverse women’s disordered eating behaviors and body image. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 49, 519–523. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22....
34.
Sahlan, R. N., Saunders, J. F., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., & Taravatrooy, F. (2020). The validity and reliability of the Farsi version of the Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Measure (F-BEECOM) among Iranian male and female students. Body Image, 34, 72–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.body....
35.
Saunders, J. F., Eaton, A. A., & Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E. (2019). Body-, eating-, and exercise-related comparisons during eating disorder recovery and validation of the BEECOM-R. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43, 494–508. https://doi.org/10.1177/036168....
36.
Schaefer, L. M., & Thompson, J. K. (2014). The development and validation of the Physical Appearance Compari-son Scale-Revised (PACS-R). Eating Behaviors, 15, 209–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatb....
37.
Schaefer, L. M., & Thompson, J. K. (2018). The development and validation of the Physical Appearance Compari-son Scale-3 (PACS-3). Psychological Assessment, 30, 1330–1341. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas000....
38.
Shen, L., & Li, S. S. (2023). Quantifying emotional flow: Testing the emotional flow hypothesis from a longitudinal latent growth curve (LGC) modeling approach. Media Psychology, 26, 436–459. https://doi.org/10.1080/152132....
39.
Schermelleh-Engel, K., Moosbrugger, H., & Müller, H. (2003). Evaluating the fit of structural equation models: Tests of significance and descriptive goodness-of-fit measures. Methods of Psychological Research Online, 8, 23–74.
40.
Thompson, J. K., Heinberg, L. J., Altabe, M., & Tantleff-Dunn, S. (1999). Exacting beauty: Theory, assessment, and treatment of body image disturbance. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10312-....
41.
Thompson, J. K., Van Den Berg, P., Roehrig, M., Guarda, A. S., & Heinberg, L. J. (2004). The socio-cultural attitudes towards appearance scale-3 (SATAQ-3): Development and validation. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 35, 293–304. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.10....
42.
Thompson, J. K., Fabian, L. J., Moulton, D. O., Dunn, M. E., & Altabe, M. N. (1991). Development and validation of the Physical Appearance Related Teasing Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 56, 513–521. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327....
43.
Tiggemann, M. (2003). Media exposure, body dissatisfaction and disordered eating: Television and magazines are not the same. European Eating Disorders Review, 11, 418–430. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.50....
44.
Vander Wal, J. S., & Thelen, M. H. (2000). Eating and body image concerns among obese and average-weight chil-dren. Addictive Behaviors, 25, 775–778. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-....
45.
Vandenberg, R. J., & Grelle, D. M. (2009). Alternative model specifications in structural equation modeling: Facts, fictions and truths. In C. E. Lance & R. J. Vandenberg (Eds.), Statistical and methodological myths and urban leg-ends: Doctrine, verity, and fable in the organizational and social sciences (pp. 165–191). Routledge.
46.
Vaterlaus, J. M., Patten, E. V., Roche, C., & Young, J. A. (2015). # Gettinghealthy: The perceived influence of social media on young adult health behaviors. Computers in Human Behavior, 45, 151–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.....
Copyright: © Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk This is an Open Access journal, all articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.
Share
RELATED ARTICLE
| eISSN: | 2353-5571 |
| ISSN: | 2353-4184 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
