Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ)

doi:10.1017/9781009398275.052

Chapter 51 - Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ)

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 November 2025

Melanie Taylor Bash and

Chris Evans

Edited by

Virginia Ramseyer Winter ,

Tracy L. Tylka and

Antoinette M. Landor

Show author details

Virginia Ramseyer Winter: Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Tracy L. Tylka: Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Antoinette M. Landor: Affiliation:
University of Missouri

Book contents

Get access

Summary

The 34-item Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) was first published in Cooper, Taylor, Cooper, and Fairburn (1987) with the items in an appendix of the paper. It assesses concerns with body shape that are typically found in women and which in extreme form have been linked to eating disorders. The BSQ is a self-report measure that can be administered online or in person. It is free to use unless used for commercial purposes. This chapter discusses the development of the BSQ, administration and timing. It then provides evidence of its psychometric explorations including strong reliability and discriminant validity. The BSQ has been found to have one main factor. The chapter then describes the two 16-item and four 8-item abbreviated forms and the translations available. Detail on the development of the measure are available included in Taylor’s doctoral thesis available on the BSQ website (https://https://www.psyctc.org/psyctc/root/tools/bsq/ & https://www.psyctc.org/psyctc/root/tools/bsq/bsq-thesis/).

Keywords

34 items Anorexia nervosa Body image disturbance Body dissatisfaction Body shape concerns Body Shape Questionnaire BSQ Bulimia nervosa Construct Eating disorders Feeling fat Self-report measure Test re-test reliability Translations Validity

Information

Type: Chapter
Information: Handbook of Body Image-Related Measures , pp. 160 - 162

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009398275.052 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2025

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Cooper, P. J., Taylor, M. J., Cooper, Z., & Fairburn, C. G. (1987). The development and validation of the Body Shape Questionnaire. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 6, 485–494. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-108X(198707)6:4%3C485::AID-EAT2260060405%3E3.0.CO;2-O.3.0.CO;2-O>CrossRef Google Scholar

Evans, C. (2019, January 5). Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) [Web page]. PSYCTC.Org. www.psyctc.org/psyctc/root/tools/bsq/.Google Scholar

Evans, C., & Dolan, B. (1993). Body Shape Questionnaire: Derivation of shortened “alternate forms”. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 13, 315–321. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-108X(199304)13:3<315::AID-EAT2260130310>3.0.CO;2-3.3.0.CO;2-3>CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Garner, D. M., & Garfinkel, P. E. (1979). The Eating Attitudes Test: An index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 9, 273–279. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291700030762.CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Garner, D. M., Olmstead, M. P., & Polivy, J. (1983). The Eating Disorder Inventory: A measure of cognitive-behavioural dimensions of anorexia nervosa and bulimia. In Darby, P. L., Garfinkel, P. E., Garner, D. M., & Coscina, D. V. (Eds.), Anorexia Nervosa: Recent Developments in Research (pp. 173–184). Wiley.Google Scholar

Taylor, M. (1987, September). The nature and significance of body image disturbance. PSYCTC.Org. www.psyctc.org/psyctc/root/tools/bsq/bsq-thesis/.Google Scholar

Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.0 A

Why this information is here

This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.

Accessibility Information

The HTML of this chapter conforms to version 2.0 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), ensuring core accessibility principles are addressed and meets the basic (A) level of WCAG compliance, addressing essential accessibility barriers.

Content Navigation

Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.

Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.

Reading Order & Textual Equivalents

Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.

Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.

Visual Accessibility

Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.

Structural and Technical Features

ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.