Development and Validation of the Athlete Food Insecurity Scale (AFIS)

Background/Objective: Athletes’ dietary needs are influenced by the physiological demands of their sport, so the impacts of disrupted food access may vary from those experienced by the general population. This study aimed to develop and validate the Athlete Food Insecurity Scale (AFIS), a sport-specific tool designed to measure food insecurity in athletes. Materials and Methods: The study included 500 young adult athletes from 18 different sports disciplines. The sample was divided for exploratory factor analysis (n = 300) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 200). Standard procedures for scale development were followed, including content validity assessment, construct validity testing, convergent validity analysis, and reliability evaluation. Results: The final 23-item scale demonstrated a four-factor structure including performance changes, coping strategies, basic nutritional needs, and physical access restraints. Factor loadings ranged from 0.344 to 0.956, item–total correlations from 0.513 to 0.781, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients from 0.827 to 0.937. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the modified model with acceptable fit indices (χ2/df = 2.41, RMSEA = 0.080, TLI = 0.900, CFI = 0.910), and standardized factor loadings ranged from 0.53 to 0.89 (p < 0.05). Subscale scores differed significantly across Household Food Security Survey Module food security categories, supporting convergent validity. Conclusions: The AFIS demonstrates strong psychometric properties and may provide a sensitive tool for identifying and monitoring sport-specific food insecurity among athletes.