The perceived environmental sustainability (PENSUS) scale for food and drinks: Development and validation among young consumers in Belgium

IF 4.6 2区医学 Q1 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Appetite Pub Date : 2025-03-05 DOI:10.1016/j.appet.2025.107935

Lotte Hallez , Käbi Vanwinkelen , Filip Boen , Tim Smits

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The perceived sustainability of food plays a significant role in young consumers' eating behaviors. While it is highly relevant to investigate these sustainability perceptions, the available measures are limited. Previous research has mostly relied on single-item measurements that only allow a surface-level understanding of food sustainability perceptions. Therefore, this research aims to provide researchers with a scale to measure perceptions of environmental food sustainability, addressing the need for such a measurement tool. We used a mixed-methods approach to develop and validate the Perceived Environmental Sustainability (PENSUS) Scale for Food and Drinks. Items were generated and refined based on expert interviews and focus group discussions with young consumers (i.e., 12–25 years) (Phase 1). The structure of the scale was explored in two online surveys (Phase 2), and subsequently confirmed with confirmatory factor analyses in four online experiments (Phase 3). This process resulted in a 10-item version of the PENSUS scale, designed to measure perceptions of 1) production & processing, 2) packaging and 3) transport. The scale serves as a concise, reliable tool to measure young consumers' environmental sustainability perceptions.

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来源期刊

Appetite 医学-行为科学

CiteScore

9.10

自引率

11.10%

发文量

566

审稿时长

13.4 weeks

期刊介绍： Appetite is an international research journal specializing in cultural, social, psychological, sensory and physiological influences on the selection and intake of foods and drinks. It covers normal and disordered eating and drinking and welcomes studies of both human and non-human animal behaviour toward food. Appetite publishes research reports, reviews and commentaries. Thematic special issues appear regularly. From time to time the journal carries abstracts from professional meetings. Submissions to Appetite are expected to be based primarily on observations directly related to the selection and intake of foods and drinks; papers that are primarily focused on topics such as nutrition or obesity will not be considered unless they specifically make a novel scientific contribution to the understanding of appetite in line with the journal's aims and scope.