Cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Turkish MIND diet adherence scale for young adults

Background: The MIND diet, which promotes brain health, has a potential role in preventing cognitive decline. To further establish its applicability, it is essential to validate the MIND Diet Adherence Scale in different populations with diverse dietary habits, including Turkish young adults. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the construct validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Turkish version of the MIND diet assessment tool in the Turkish population. Methods: A total of 310 individuals aged between 19 and 39 (mean age 25.0 ± 5.1) voluntarily participated in this study. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, incorporating socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, the MIND Diet Adherence Scale, and the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Scale. Both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the MIND Dietary Adherence Scale were performed. In the CFA, the goodness of fit of the hypothesized model to the observed data was evaluated using a range of fit indices. Results: The study determined an adequate sample size (KMO = 0.67), with sufficient item correlations for factor analysis (χ2 = 449.74; p < 0.001). Confirmatory factor analysis and goodness-of-fit indicators supported the fit of the two-factor model to the Turkish data. The Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient for the MIND Diet Adherence Scale was 0.61. All items in the scale exhibited a positive correlation with the total score, exceeding 0.40. Furthermore, a substantial positive correlation was observed between the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Scale and the MIND Diet Adherence Scale. Conclusions: The Turkish adaptation of the MIND Diet Adherence Scale can be utilized in its entirety, without the need to remove any items. This study affirms that the MIND Diet Adherence Scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool for assessing dietary habits in Turkish society.