Food insecurity significantly impacts the physical, psychological, and social well-being of children and adolescents. Accurate assessment requires self-report measures, as caregiver reports may not fully capture adolescents’ unique experiences and psychosocial consequences. While several food insecurity tools exist for Turkish populations, a validated self-report instrument specifically for adolescents is lacking. This study aimed to adapt the self-administered food security survey module for children aged 12 years and older (CFSSM) into Turkish and evaluate its psychometric properties. A validity and reliability study was conducted between October 2024 and April 2025 with a convenience sample of 108 students aged 12–17 years from Ankara, Türkiye. Test–retest reliability was assessed in a subsample of participants after a 15-day interval. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire and the 9-item CFSSM. Linguistic validity was assessed through forward-backward translation by independent experts and comprehensibility testing. Statistical analyses, performed using IBM SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 22.0, included Cronbach’s alpha and Pearson correlation for reliability, and explanatory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). CFA modifications based on modification indices were applied to improve model fit. The CFSSM demonstrated high internal consistency and very strong test-retest reliability ( r = 0.959; p < 0.001). EFA confirmed data suitability (KMO = 0.854, significant Bartlett’s Test) and revealed a single factor explaining 69.69% of the total variance, with factor loadings ranging from 0.681 to 0.914. CFA, after minor modifications, showed acceptable model fit (χ²/df = 3.44, CFI = 0.949, NFI = 0.931, GFI = 0.888, RMSEA = 0.051, AGFI = 0.864, RMR = 0.007). Item 9 was removed due to insufficient variance. Food security classification showed 65.7% with high, 9.3% with marginal, 12.9% with low, and 12.1% with very low food security among participants. The Turkish-adapted CFSSM demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability for assessing food insecurity among adolescents in this sample. The findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the validity and reliability of the Turkish-adapted CFSSM among adolescents in Türkiye.
Tatlılıoğlu et al. (2026) studied this question.