Psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of the sustainable environmental behavior questionnaire: translation, cultural adaptation, and validation study

Psychometrically sound measures of sustainable environmental behaviors are needed to support environmental sustainability and public health research. This study aimed to translate the Sustainable Environmental Behavior Questionnaire (SEBQ) into Persian and evaluate its psychometric properties among Iranian adults. In this methodological psychometric study with a cross-sectional design, 403 adults from Mazandaran Province, Iran, participated during 2025–2026. Content validity was assessed using the Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR), yielding excellent results (S-CVI = 0.99; S-CVR = 0.73). Construct validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 200) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 203). EFA supported a four-factor structure comprising purchase behavior and awareness, reusing and recycling, reducing, and walking/public transport use, explaining 63% of the total variance. CFA confirmed the four-factor model with acceptable fit indices (CFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.06). Internal consistency was satisfactory across all dimensions (Cronbach’s α = 0.77–0.88; McDonald’s ω = 0.79–0.89), and test–retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.91). Although convergent and discriminant validity were supported for most dimensions, the purchase behavior and awareness subscale demonstrated weaker psychometric performance. Overall, the Persian SEBQ demonstrated satisfactory overall validity and reliability for assessing sustainable environmental behaviors, although the purchase behavior and awareness subscale requires further refinement due to its relatively weaker convergent and discriminant validity.