Objective: Food neophobia is an aversion or reluctance to eat new or
unfamiliar foods. The aim of this study was to establish the Turkish
validity and reliability of the Food Neophobia Scale, which is used to
measure the fear of trying new foods, in the adolescent age group.
Method: The study was conducted with high school students in the
province of Rize during the 2023-2024 academic year. The sample of
the study was comprised of 466 students in 13-18 age range. Data were
collected using a questionnaire containing demographic characteristics
and the Food Neophobia Scale. To assess the validity and reliability of
the scale, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis,
and Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient were used.
Results: The mean age of the students included in the study was
15.4±1.1 years 50.6% were male. The items in the scale used in the study
were found to have sufficient correlation and the dataset was suitable for
factor analysis (KMO=0.747; Bartlett’s sphericity test, p<0.001). The
Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed that the scale had a good model
fit (χ²=3.78, p<0.001). The Cronbach α internal consistency coefficient
for the scale integrity was 0.71.
Conclusion: The Turkish Food Neophobia Scale is a valid and
reliable measurement tool. The scale can determine food neophobia in
adolescents aged 13-18.
Keywords: Adolescent, food neophobia, scale, validity and reliability