AbstractDesigned to create composites of eating behavior questionnaire items and determine their relationship to an obesity index within three subsamples of participants in three Navy‐sponsored weight‐reduction programs (N= 1,878). After item and scale analyses were performed on questionnaire items that pertained to eating behaviors, history of weight problems, activities, and feelings about food and dieting, scores for the resultant composites were computed for individuals within the three subsamples. Results of multipleregression analyses indicated that the strongest correlates of obesity within each subsample were the Overweight History, Food Obsession, and Activities composites; the multipleRwas 0.49 for Marine recruits, 0.46 for the other male subsample, and 0.32 for women. The Emotional Eater composite was included in the multiple regression for the women's subsample. Personality characteristics also were found to be associated with the obesity index in the men's and women's subsamples. Future studies will examine the value of these variables as predictors of weight loss and maintenance of weight l
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