Hostname: page-component-54dcc4c588-42vt5 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-07T08:26:10.360Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Turkish adaptation of the Eating-Related Eco-Concern questionnaire: validity and reliability study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 August 2025

Gaye Saban Bozan*
Affiliation:
Nuh Naci Yazgan University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Kayseri, Turkey
Aslı Gizem Çapar
Affiliation:
Nuh Naci Yazgan University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Kayseri, Turkey
*
Corresponding author: Gaye Saban Bozan; Email: gayesaban190501@gmail.com

Abstract

The study aimed to translate the Eating-Related Eco-Concern (EREC) questionnaire into Turkish, adapt it cross-culturally, and evaluate its psychometric properties. EREC is a ten-item scale measuring how adults consider ecological impact in food choices due to climate change concerns. The study was conducted in Mersin between November 2023 and February 2024 with 442 adults (18–65 years) through face-to-face interviews. The Turkish version was adapted using the Translation–Back Translation method, and language validity was ensured. Face validity was evaluated through a pilot study with forty participants. Construct validity was initially assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with data from 200 participants, followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) conducted on an independent sample of 242 participants to verify the factor structure. The reliability of the scale was assessed by test-retest analysis with 106 participants from the main sample (n 442), and consistency was measured by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The factor structure and model fit were evaluated using indices such as Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Goodness-of-Fit Index (GFI) and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). 68·3 % of the participants were female, whereas 31·7 % were male. The group’s median BMI value was 24·3 (21·6–27·1), with 52·9 % classified as ‘normal’ according to the BMI classification. Factor 2 had a low score, but it was found to be adequate for other factors and the total scale score. The Turkish adaptation of the EREC questionnaire has been found to be a valid and reliable scale, as confirmed by comprehensive evaluations.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

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.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Ripple, W, Wolf, JC, Newsome, TM, et al. (2020) World scientists’ warning of a climate emergency. Biosci 70, 812.10.1093/biosci/biz152CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2023) Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Geneva: IPCC. p. 184. –https://doi.org/10.59327/IPCC/AR6-9789291691647 Google Scholar
Schiavo, M, Le Mouël, C, Poux, X, et al. (2021) An agroecological Europe by 2050: What impact on land use, trade and global food security? (Study No. 08/21). IDDRI. Retrieved August 2025, from https://www.iddri.org/sites/default/files/PDF/Publications/Catalogue%20Iddri/Etude/202107-ST0821_TYFA%20World_1.pdf Google Scholar
Willett, W, Rockström, J, Loken, B, et al. (2019) Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Lancet 393, 447492.10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Searchinger, T, Waite, R, Hanson, C, et al. (2019) Creating a Sustainable Food Future: A Menu of Solutions to Feed Nearly 10 Billion People by 2050. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute.Google Scholar
Springmann, M, Clark, M, Mason D’Croz, D, et al. (2018) Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits. Nature 562, 519525.10.1038/s41586-018-0594-0CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Watts, N, Amann, M, Arnell, N, et al. (2019) The 2019 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: ensuring that the health of a child born today is not defined by a changing climate. Lancet 394, 18361878.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garza, R (2023) Examining ecological harshness cues and anticipated food scarcity on food preferences. Food Qual Prefer 104, 104736.10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104736CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanchez-Sabate, R & Sabate, J (2019) Consumer attitudes towards environmental concerns of meat consumption: a systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 16, 1220.10.3390/ijerph16071220CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wang, DD, Li, Y, Afshin, A, et al. (2019) Global improvement in dietary quality could lead to substantial reduction in premature death. J Nutr 149, 10651074.10.1093/jn/nxz010CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, BF, Santo, RE, Scatterday, AP, et al. (2020) Country-specific dietary shifts to mitigate climate and water crises. Glob Environ Change 62, 101926.10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.05.010CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rose, D, Heller, MC, Willits-Smith, AM, et al. (2019) Carbon footprint of self-selected US diets: nutritional, demographic, and behavioral correlates. Am J Clin Nutr 109, 526534.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Green, RF, Joy, EJM, Harris, F, et al. (2018) Greenhouse gas emissions and water footprints of typical dietary patterns in India. Sci Total Environ 643, 14111418.10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.258CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ojala, M, Cunsolo, A, Ogunbode, CA, et al. (2021) Anxiety, worry, and grief in a time of environmental and climate crisis: a narrative review. Annu Rev Environ Resour 46, 3558.10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-022716CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pihkala, P (2020) Anxiety and the ecological crisis: an analysis of eco-anxiety and climate anxiety. Sustainability 12, 7836.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stewart, AE (2013) Psychometric properties of the Climate Change Worry Scale. Int J Environ Res Public Health 18, 494.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qi, B, Presseller, EK, Cooper, GE, et al. (2022) Development and validation of an Eating-Related Eco-Concern Questionnaire. Nutrients 14, 4517.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
El Zouki, CJ, Obeid, S, Malaeb, D, et al. (2024) Validation of the Arabic-language version of the eating-related eco concern (EREC) scale. PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3987459/v1 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tecuta, L, Casu, G & Tomba, E (2024) Validation of the Italian version of the Eating-Related Eco-Concern Questionnaire: insights into its relationship with orthorexia nervosa. Front Psychol 15, 1441561.10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1441561CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Runfola, CD & Safer, DL (2024) The role of eco-anxiety in the presentation of bulimia nervosa: a case report. J Eat Disord 12, 164.10.1186/s40337-024-01118-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Özbay, S & Alcı, B (2021) İklim Değişikliği Kaygı Ölçeği: Türkçeye Uyarlama, Geçerlik ve Güvenirlik Çalışması [Climate Change Anxiety Scale: Turkish Adaptation, Validity, and Reliability Study]. R&S Res Stud Anatolia J 4, 183193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cebeci, F, Karaman, M, Öztürk, AF, et al. (2022) İklim Değişikliği Anksiyetesi Ölçeği’nin Türkçe Uyarlaması: geçerlik ve Güvenirlik Çalışması [ The Turkish Adaptation of the Climate Change Anxiety Scale: Validity and Reliability Study]. Ufkun Ötesi Bilim Dergisi 22, 2042.10.54961/uobild.1129602CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uzun, K, Öztürk, AF, Karaman, M, et al. (2022) Adaptation of the eco-anxiety scale to Turkish: a validity and reliability study. Arch Health Sci Res 9, 110115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clayton, S & Karazsia, BT (2020) Development and validation of a measure of climate change anxiety. J Environ Psychol 69, 101434.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rocchi, G, Pileri, J, Luciani, F, et al. (2023) Insights into eco-anxiety in Italy: preliminary psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Hogg eco-anxiety scale, age and gender distribution. J Environ Psychol 92, 102180.10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102180CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chung, SJ, Jang, SJ & Lee, H (2023) Eco-anxiety and environmental sustainability interest: a secondary data analysis. Int J Ment Health Nurs 32, 14621472.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heeren, A, Mouguiama-Daouda, C & McNally, RJ (2023) A network approach to climate change anxiety and its key related features. J Anxiety Disord 93, 102625.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reser, JP & Bradley, GL (2020) The nature, significance, and influence of perceived personal experience of climate change. WIREs Clim Change 11, e668.10.1002/wcc.668CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gorsuch, RL (1974) Factor Analysis. Philadelphia: Saunders.Google Scholar
Boateng, GO, Neilands, TB, Frongillo, EA, et al. (2018) Best practices for developing and validating scales for health, social, and behavioral research: a primer. Front Public Health 6, 149.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Floyd, FJ & Widaman, KF (1995) Factor analysis in the development and refinement of clinical assessment instruments. Psychol Assess 7, 286299.10.1037/1040-3590.7.3.286CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization (2001) Age Standardization Rates. GPE Discussion Paper Series 31 (Internet). Geneva: WHO. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/gho-documents/global-health-estimates/gpe_discussion_paper_series_paper31_2001_age_standardization_rates.pdf (accessed 21 March 2025).Google Scholar
Fiat, F, Merghes, PE, Scurtu, AD, et al. (2022) The main changes in pregnancy—therapeutic approach to musculoskeletal pain. Medicina 58, 1115.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Samra, A & Dryer, R (2024) Problematic social media use and psychological distress in pregnancy: the mediating role of social comparisons and body dissatisfaction. Journal of Affective Disorders 361, 702711.10.1016/j.jad.2024.06.057CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chauhan, A & Potdar, J (2022) Maternal mental health during pregnancy: a critical review. Cureus 14, e30656.Google ScholarPubMed
Saleem, T, Saleem, S, Shoib, S, et al. (2022) A rare phenomenon of pregorexia in Pakistani women: need to understand the related behaviors. J Eat Disord 10, 111.10.1186/s40337-022-00589-8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weir, CB & Jan, A (2024) BMI Classification Percentile and Cut off Points. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls.Google Scholar
Çapık, C, Gözüm, S & Aksayan, S (2018) Kültürlerarası ölçek uyarlama aşamaları, dil ve kültür uygulaması: Güncellenmiş rehber [Cross-cultural scaling adaptation stages, language and culture application: Updated guide]. Florence Nightingale J Nurs 26, 199210.10.26650/FNJN397481CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, LL (1992) Instrument review: getting the most from a panel of experts. Appl Nurs Res 5, 194197.10.1016/S0897-1897(05)80008-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ayre, C & Scally, AJ (2014) Critical values for Lawshe’s content validity ratio: revisiting the original methods of calculation. Meas Eval Couns Dev 47, 7986.10.1177/0748175613513808CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawshe, CH (1975) A quantitative approach to content validity. Pers Psychol 28, 563575.10.1111/j.1744-6570.1975.tb01393.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, FR, Pan, W & Schumsky, DA (2012) Recalculation of the critical values for Lawshe’s content validity ratio. Meas Eval Couns Dev 45, 197210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tavşancıl, E (2002) Tutumların Ölçülmesi ve SPSS ile Veri Analizi [Measuring Attitudes and Data Analysis with SPSS], 1st ed. Ankara: Nobel Yayınevi.Google Scholar
Koo, TK & Li, MY (2016) A guideline of selecting and reporting intraclass correlation coefficients for reliability research. J Chiropr Med 15, 155163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Field, A (2013) Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics, 4th ed. London: SAGE Publications.Google Scholar
Kline, RB (2016) Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling, 4th ed. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
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 Psychol Res Online 8, 2374.Google Scholar
Hu, LT & Bentler, PM (1999) Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct Equ Model 6, 155.10.1080/10705519909540118CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bentler, PM (1990) Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychol Bull 107, 238246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tucker, LR & Lewis, C (1973) A reliability coefficient for maximum likelihood factor analysis. Psychometrika 38, 110.10.1007/BF02291170CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bentler, PM & Bonett, DG (1980) Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychol Bull 88, 588606.10.1037/0033-2909.88.3.588CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Browne, MW & Cudeck, R (1993) Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In Testing Structural Equation Models, pp. 136162 [Bollen, KA, Long, JS, editors]. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Hair, JF, Black, WC, Babin, BJ, et al. (2010) Multivariate Data Analysis: A Global Perspective, 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.Google Scholar
Cheah, I, Shimul, AS, Liang, J, et al. (2020) Drivers and barriers toward reducing meat consumption. Appetite 149, 104636.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lai, AE, Tirotto, FA, Pagliaro, S, et al. (2020) Two sides of the same coin: environmental and health concern pathways toward meat consumption. Front Psychol 11, 578582.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turnes, A, Pereira, P, Cid, H, et al. (2023) Meat consumption and availability for its reduction by health and environmental concerns: a pilot study. Nutrients 15, 3080.10.3390/nu15143080CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
López, L, Martínez, E & Fernández, A (2020) Gender differences in environmental attitudes and sustainable consumption behavior. Environ Psychol 38, 100113.Google Scholar
White, MA, Habib, R & Jafry, T (2021) Gendered responses to environmental change: a study of eco-anxiety in young adults. J Environ Behav 56, 205223.Google Scholar
Patrick, R, Snell, T, Gunasiri, H, et al. (2023) Prevalence and determinants of mental health related to climate change in Australia. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 57, 710724.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whitmarsh, L, Player, L, Jiongco, A, et al. (2022) Climate anxiety: what predicts it and how is it related to climate action? J Environ Psychol 83, 101866.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weerasekara, PC, Withanachchi, CR, Ginigaddara, G, et al. (2020) Food and nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices among reproductive-age women in marginalized areas in Sri Lanka. Int J Environ Res Public Health 17, 3985.10.3390/ijerph17113985CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clayton, SD, Pihkala, P, Wray, B, et al. (2023) Psychological and emotional responses to climate change among young people worldwide: differences associated with gender, age, and country. Sustainability 15, 3540.10.3390/su15043540CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ergun, SJ, Karadeniz, ZD & Rivas, MF (2024) Climate change risk perception in Europe: country-level factors and gender differences. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11, 1573.10.1057/s41599-024-03761-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bush, SS & Clayton, A (2023) Facing change: gender and climate change attitudes worldwide. Am Polit Sci Rev 117, 591608.10.1017/S0003055422000752CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leonhardt, M, Granrud, M, Bonsaksen, T, et al. (2022) Associations between mental health, lifestyle factors and worries about climate change in Norwegian adolescents. Int J Environ Res Public Health 19, 12826.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oral, FN & Durmuş, H (2023) Üniversite öğrencilerinde eko-anksiyete düzeyi ve beslenme alışkanlıklarıyla ilişkisi: Erciyes Üniversitesi örneği [The level of eco-anxiety among university students and its relationship with eating habits: The case of Erciyes University]. Sosyal Sağlık Derg 3, 1525.Google Scholar
Gundala, RR, Nawaz, N, Boobalan, K, et al. (2022) Does gender moderate the purchase intention of organic foods? Theory of reasoned action. Heliyon 8, e10456.10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10478CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ripabelli, G, Mastronardi, L, Tamburro, M, et al. (2017) Food consumption and eating habits: a segmentation of university students from Central-South Italy. New Medit 16, 56.Google Scholar
Wollmar, M, Post, A & Sjöberg, A (2024) Food choice, activity level, and carbon footprint: exploring potential for sustainable food consumption practices in young adults. Front Nutr 11, 1449054.10.3389/fnut.2024.1449054CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Meteorological Organization & Copernicus Climate Change Service (2025) European State of the Climate: Extreme Events in Warmest Year on Record (Internet). Geneva & Bonn: WMO & C3S; 2025 Apr 15. https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/european-state-of-climate-extreme-events-warmest-year-record (accessed 19 June 2025).Google Scholar