Measuring the Ecological Footprint of Eating Behaviors: A Psychometric Study on the Turkish Version of the EREC Scale
NUTRIENTS, cilt.18, sa.7, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 18 Sayı: 7
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.3390/nu18071132
- Dergi Adı: NUTRIENTS
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, CINAHL, EMBASE, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, MEDLINE, Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
- Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Background/Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the Eating-Related Eco-Concern (EREC) in young Turkish adults and to evaluate the effect of ecological concerns on disordered eating characteristics, with a view to comparing these effects with the risk of eating disorders. Methods: The study included 600 young adults (138 males and 462 females) aged 18 to 35. Using face-to-face administration, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q-13) Short Form to assess eating disorder-related psychopathology and the EREC Scale to assess eating behaviors related to eco-concern were administered, and Turkish validity and reliability were examined. Results: The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) was 0.801, signifying acceptable sample adequacy, while Bartlett's test of sphericity was significant (chi(2) = 636.159, p < 0.001). All item factor loadings ranged from 0.582 to 0.767 and were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The scale's Cronbach's alpha was 0.854. Test-retest reliability was good, with an infraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.811 95% CI. The analysis revealed that the single-factor model demonstrated an acceptable fit to the data (chi(2)/df = 2.84, CFI = 0.976). There was no statistically significant correlation between EREC and the total EDE-Q-13 score (p = 0.064). On the other hand, the total EDE-Q-13 score was identified as a significant negative predictor of EREC scores (beta = -2.648, p = 0.028). Conclusions: All item factors of the Turkish adaptation of the scale exhibit a structure that is quite consistent with the original scale. The 10-question version of EREC can be used with young adults in T & uuml;rkiye. In this study, although ecological anxiety was associated with eating restraint or purging, it was not found to be generally associated with eating disorders.