Adaptation of the Climate Change Awareness Scale to Turkish Adults: A Validity and Reliability Study

Objective: Climate change is a global problem and it is more essential to measure and increase awareness of climate change. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish Climate Change Awareness Scale for Adults (CCA-A). Material and Methods: The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) analyses were conducted with 198 and 220 participants, respectively and total sample was 418. The survey form provided to the participants consisted of sociodemographic data, anthropometric measurements, the Climate Change Awareness Scale and the Sustainable Nutrition and Behavior Scale. Cronbach's alpha and split-half coefficients were calculated as internal consistency analyses to assess the reliability of the scale. Results: The factor loadings of the scale items between 0.418 to 0.945, and the percentage explaining the overall variance was found to be 55.73%. The EFA indicated that the scale items were 2 separate subscales. The CFA analysis revealed the following results for the CCA-A scale: χ2 /SD=2.665, Goodness of Fit Index=0.95, Comparative Fit Index=0.918, and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation=0.077. The reliability analysis showed a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.82, the Spearman Brown value of 0.91, and the Guttman value of 0.89 for the CCA-A total scale. Furthermore, a statistically significant positive correlation was found between the scale and the Sustainable and Healthy Eating Behaviors Scale (r=0.169; p<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, the CCA-A is a validity and reliable scale for assessing the level of awareness of climate change among adults.