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Surveys and Diaries and Scales, Oh My! A Critical Analysis of Household Food Waste Measurement

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  • John A. Aitken

    (The MITRE Corporation, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean, VA 22102, USA)

  • Amber Sprenger

    (The MITRE Corporation, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean, VA 22102, USA)

  • Balca Alaybek

    (The MITRE Corporation, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean, VA 22102, USA)

  • Grace Mika

    (The MITRE Corporation, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean, VA 22102, USA)

  • Halene Hartman

    (The MITRE Corporation, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean, VA 22102, USA)

  • Laura Leets

    (The MITRE Corporation, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean, VA 22102, USA)

  • Ellyn Maese

    (Gallup, 901 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004, USA)

  • Telli Davoodi

    (Gallup, 901 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004, USA)

Abstract

Household food waste is a significant problem in America that can only be addressed through accurate measurement. However, there are many different measurement methods that each have advantages and disadvantages: subjective measures (i.e., recall, visual estimation) are easier to implement via surveys but can be biased, and objective measures (i.e., scales) can be precise but logistically burdensome. In this study, we collected survey and daily diary data on household food waste from 257 individuals to evaluate the extent to which a survey-based subjective recall measure, a diary-based objective scale measure, and a diary-based subjective estimation measure demonstrate convergent validity or concordance. We found evidence of substantial overlap across measures ( r = 0.41 to 0.70), suggesting that there is convergent validity across these household food waste measures. Furthermore, we found that a substantial portion of variance in household food waste is attributable to within-household sources over time, demonstrating the as-of-yet overlooked need to examine predictors of food waste at between- (stable) and within-household (dynamic) levels. We discuss the further implications of these results and future research directions.

Suggested Citation

  • John A. Aitken & Amber Sprenger & Balca Alaybek & Grace Mika & Halene Hartman & Laura Leets & Ellyn Maese & Telli Davoodi, 2024. "Surveys and Diaries and Scales, Oh My! A Critical Analysis of Household Food Waste Measurement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:3:p:968-:d:1324674
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    References listed on IDEAS

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