Development of the Dietary Practices and Food Safety Literacy Scale for Older Adults.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop and validate a Dietary Practices and Food Safety Literacy Scale comprehensively assessing competencies among Korean older adults in healthy dietary practices, hygiene, and food safety. METHODS: Item development was informed by a literature review, national dietary guidelines, and existing literacy frameworks. Content validity was reviewed by a 10-member expert panel using the Delphi method. Construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), and reliability was assessed through Cronbach's α, composite reliability (CR), and average variance extracted (AVE). RESULTS: EFA identified three factors-management, decision-making, and moderation competencies-comprising 13 items. Internal consistency was acceptable (α = 0.69-0.83), and CFA supported the three-factor structure (CFI = 0.919, RMSEA = 0.087). CR values exceeded 0.70, and AVE were close to or exceeded the recommended threshold. CONCLUSIONS: The scale demonstrates sound psychometric properties and provides a practical tool for identifying competency gaps in Dietary Practices and Food Safety Literacy. Its application may guide tailored health education and community-based interventions to promote healthy aging and support public health strategies in aging societies. By translating health information literacy into measurable, behavior-oriented domains, this tool bridges the gap between theoretical constructs and practical assessment. It can be incorporated into routine health monitoring, enabling policymakers and practitioners to design evidence-based interventions that enhance older adults' dietary self-management and food safety awareness.