Health Risk Awareness Scale of Food Shoppers on Digital Shopping Platforms: A Validation Study

Background: Food shopping, especially through digital media, has changed consumer behaviour; however, this change has unintentionally supported sedentary lifestyles and posed significant health risks. The aim of this research is to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool that can measure the health risk awareness of e-food shoppers. Method: This study was conducted as a methodological study between January 1-30, 2025 in Türkiye with 198 participants. An item pool was created as part of the scale development. Then, these items were sent to experts. The items corrected according to expert opinions were sent to a group of 50 people for a pilot study. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were performed within the scope of validity after the pilot application. For reliability, Cronbach's alpha values, test-retest reliability and corrected item-total correlations of the scale were reported. T-test and ANOVA analyses were conducted for the psychometric measurements of the scale. Results: As a result of EFA conducted within the scope of validity, six sub-dimensions with 24 items were obtained. This structure was confirmed with CFA. Because chi-square value (x²/df=2.77; p<0.001) was found to be significant. RMSEA=0.06 and SRMR=0.07 values ​​belonging to CFA were found to be below the critical value of 0.08. Goodness of fit values ​​such as GFI=0.91, CFI=0.96 and IFI=0.96 belonging to the scale were also found to be above the critical value of 0.90. Cronbach alpha value reported for reliability was found to be 0.79, and test-retest reliability was found to be 0.798. Corrected item total correlation results were found to be above the critical value of 0.3. According to the results of hypothesis tests conducted to reveal the psychometric properties of the scale, health risk awareness of e-food shoppers did not show any significant difference in terms of age, living alone, family type, chronic disease, exercise, food sensitivity, body mass index, general health and life satisfaction (p>0.05). However, age, e-food recommendation, reason to e-food and frequency of e-food shopping showed statistically significant differences. Conclusion: Our scale provides a robust tool for identifying gaps in health literacy and consumer awareness in this rapidly evolving digital environment. These insights have direct implications for public health policy, digital platform regulation, and consumer education initiatives.