Food wasting behaviour in Türkiye: adaptation of the Food Wasting Behaviours Questionnaire.

Abstract

Understanding consumers’ food wasting behaviours is crucial to reducing food waste. This study aimed to adapt the Food Wasting Behaviours Questionnaire (FWBQ) to Turkish and evaluate its validity and reliability. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 421 adults, preceded by a pilot study with thirty individuals to assess the intelligibility of the questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on a subsample of 219 participants, followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on an independent subsample of 202 participants. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha (CA), and test-retest reliability was evaluated with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) in a separate group of 100 participants. As a result of EFA, a six-factor structure emerged – diverging from the original five-factor model of the FWBQ – indicating that in the Turkish context, planning meals and planning shopping behaviours formed distinct dimensions. Three items with low factor loadings (< 0·30) were excluded, and the final version included twenty-seven items with a total explained variance of 57·3 %. CFA confirmed good model fit, and internal consistency was strong (CA = 0·700 to 0·924). Test-retest reliability was also high (ICC = 0·787 to 0·896). In conclusion, the Turkish version of the FWBQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing a wide range of food wasting behaviours. The emergence of a sixth factor highlights the importance of cultural context in shaping food management routines and has implications for cross-cultural comparisons and future adaptations.