Turkish adaptation of the eating-related eco-concern questionnaire: validity and reliability study

This study was conducted to translate the Eating-Related Eco-Concern Questionnaire, a short, validated tool for screening the level of eco-concern and changes in eating-related behaviors, into Turkish, to ensure its cross-cultural adaptation, and to examine its reliability and validity psychometric properties. The study was conducted between November 2023 and February 2024 with participants aged 18-65 years who volunteered to participate in the study and lived in Mersin. Data were collected face-to-face. A total of 442 participants (200 for exploratory factor analysis and 242 for confirmatory factor analysis) constituted the sample group. The language validity of the scale was ensured by the translation-back translation method. In order to evaluate the content validity, the CSR and CGI values were calculated as 1 with the Davis technique and these values were deemed sufficient for content validity. A pilot study was conducted on 40 participants to ensure the face validity of the scale. The construct validity of the scale was determined by EFA and CFA. As a result of EFA, it was seen that there was a 3-factor structure in which all statistics were at a sufficient level. This structure was further tested with another sample (participant group) by CFA analysis. According to all indices, it was inferred that the data were compatible with the model, in other words, the data confirmed the model. The test was re-tested with 106 participants who were included in the CFA study and the test-retest consistency was examined with ICC statistics. Although it was relatively low for Factor 2, it was found to be sufficient (>0.70) for the other factors and the total scale score. When the item analysis, EFA, CFA and test-retest results discussed above are evaluated holistically, it is seen that the scale is valid and reliable, especially in terms of the use of total scale score, very good statistics are calculated. The Eating-Related EcoConcern Questionnaire, a 10-item scale that assesses the extent to which adults consider ecological impact when making food choices due to concerns about the changing climate, is a valid and reliable scale adapted into Turkish. Keywords: Eco-anxiety, Reliability, Scale, Sustainable nutrition, Validity