Adaptation of the Food Waste Avoidance Motivation Scale into Turkish: A Validity and Reliability Study

Objective: We conducted this research to assess the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Food Waste Avoidance Motivation (MAFW) scale, specifically focusing on its use with adults.Methods: Between January and May 2025, data for this research were obtained via in-person interviews conducted with adults who are residents of Niğde, Turkey. The validity of the MAFW scale was examined by employing Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The internal reliability of the instrument was determined through consistency analysis; consequently, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was derived.Results: The study's sample population comprised 268 adult subjects, with a mean age of 29.0 ± 10.5 years. With an overall Cronbach's α of 0.88, the MAFW scale demonstrated strong internal consistency. The reliability coefficients for its individual subscales were observed to fall within the range of 0.82 to 0.96. The four-factor structure of the MAFW scale (environmental motivation, social motivation, financial motivation, and moral motivation) was confirmed through CFA, and the fit indices indicated a good model fit (χ²/sd=2.88; RMSEA=0.084; GFI=0.95; AGFI=0.94; CFI=0.92; TLI=0.91; SRMR=0.04). According to the convergent validity analysis, significant correlations were observed between the MAFW scale score and the Plate Clearing Tendency Scale and Household Food Security Survey Module– Short Form. Convergent validity analyses showed statistically significant but weak correlations between the MAFW scale score and both the Plate Clearing Tendency Scale and the Household Food Security Survey Module–Short FormConclusion: Our findings indicate that the Turkish adaptation of the MAFW scale can be effectively utilized as a valid and reliable tool for measuring adult motivation to avoid food waste. The MAFW scale presents a valuable resource for subsequent studies aiming to gauge individuals' knowledge, opinions, and actions concerning food wastage.