Validity and Reliability Study of the Turkish Adaptation of the Sustainable Food Literacy Scale

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Sustainable Food Literacy Scale. The study was conducted with personnel working in Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality and trainees currently attending the training centers affiliated to the municipality. The study included a total of 533 participants. A demographic information form, and the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener, Short Food Literacy Questionnaire, and Sustainable Food Literacy Scale were used. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to analyze validity. The internal consistency coefficient, parallel form reliability, and test-retest methods were used to analyze reliability. Statistical data analysis was performed with the IBM SPSS Statistics 28.0 package program. A significance level of p<0.05 was accepted as significant. The scale comprises a total of 26 items. A five- factor structure that accounts for a total variance of 77% has been achieved. The factors are named as Sustainable Food Knowledge 1, Sustainable Food Knowledge 2, Cooking and Kitchen Skills, Attitudes and Intentions for Action, and Action Strategies, respectively. The Cronbach's Alpha value of the scale was found to be 0.941. There was a significant difference between the sustainable food literacy of individuals of different genders, education levels, and occupations. The Turkish adaptation of the Sustainable Food Literacy Scale is the first and only valid and reliable instrument that can assess the sustainable food literacy of adults.