The Food Cravings Questionnaires (FCQs) are among the most widely used self-report questionnaires for measuring food craving. [1] [2] [3] [4] They were developed by Antonio Cepeda-Benito and colleagues in 2000. [5] For the 39-item trait version (FCQ-T), respondents indicate how frequently each statement is true for them in general on a six-point scale with 1 = never/not applicable, 2 = rarely, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often, 5 = usually, and 6 = always. For the 15-item state version (FCQ-S), respondents indicate the extent to which they agree with each statement right now, at this very moment, on a five-point scale with 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree.
The FCQs were designed to assess the multidimensional nature of food craving and, thus, assess several aspects such as emotions before a food craving is experienced or before eating, affective responses after eating, thoughts about food, or loss of control over food consumption. For the FCQ-T, these aspects are reflected in 9 subscales. To calculate a subscale score, item responses of each subscale are added up to sum scores as indicated in the table below. A total score of the FCQ-T can also be calculated by summing up all 39 items. No items have to be recoded prior to summation of item responses. Thus, total FCQ-T scores can range between 39 and 234 and higher scores indicate more frequent and intense experiences of food craving in general. [5]
Subscale | Items |
---|---|
Having intentions and plans to consume food | 5, 18, 23 |
Anticipation of positive reinforcement that may result from eating | 9, 10, 15, 24, 38 |
Anticipation of relief from negative states and feelings as a result of eating | 16, 19, 21 |
Lack of control over eating | 2, 3, 22, 25, 26, 29 |
Thoughts and preoccupation with food | 6, 8, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33 |
Craving as a physiological state | 11, 12, 13, 14 |
Emotions that may be experienced before or during food cravings or eating | 20, 30, 34, 39 |
Cues that may trigger food cravings | 1, 35, 36, 37 |
Guilt from cravings and/or for giving into them | 4, 7, 17 |
The FCQ-S has five subscales. To calculate a subscale score, item responses of each subscale are added up to sum scores as indicated in the table below. A total score of the FCQ-S can also be calculated by summing up all 15 items. No items have to be recoded prior to summation of item responses. Thus, total FCQ-S scores can range between 15 and 75 and higher scores indicate more intense current food craving. [5]
Subscale | Items |
---|---|
An intense desire to eat | 1, 2, 3 |
Anticipation of positive reinforcement that may result from eating | 4, 5, 6 |
Anticipation of relief from negative states and feelings as a result of eating | 7, 8, 9 |
Lack of control over eating | 10, 11, 12 |
Craving as a physiological state (i.e., hunger) | 13, 14, 15 |
Both FCQs have high internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha >.90). [1] The FCQ-T also has high test-retest reliability which is, expectedly, lower for the FCQ-S as a state-dependent measure. [6]
Factorial validity has received limited support as factor structure of the FCQs could not be replicated in several studies. [1] Construct validity of the FCQ-T has been supported in that higher FCQ-T scores are predictive of stronger food-cue reactivity (e.g., larger increases in current food craving when exposed to tempting food stimuli) and higher consumption of high-calorie foods. Discriminant validity of the FCQ-T has been supported in that scores are largely unaffected by momentary states such as hunger and satiety. Construct validity of the FCQ-S has been supported in that higher FCQ-S scores relate to a longer food deprivation and are predictive of higher food intake in laboratory studies. Discriminant validity of the FCQ-S has been supported in that scores are largely unrelated to trait-like eating behaviors and body weight. [1]
The FCQ-T has been translated into several other languages such as Spanish, [7] German, [8] Italian, [9] Portuguese, [10] [11] Persian, [12] Turkish,[ citation needed ] and Chinese. [13] The FCQ-S has also been translated into several other languages such as Spanish, [7] German, [8] Italian, [14] Portuguese, [10] [11] and Korean [15]
Several abbreviated or otherwise modified versions of the FCQs have been developed. [1] The General Food Cravings Questionnaires (G-FCQs) are the Dutch translation of the FCQs. The G-FCQ-T includes 21 of the original FCQ-T's 39 items and the G-FCQ-S has (similar to the FCQ-S) 15 items but references to "one or more specific foods" were replaced by "something tasty". [16] The FCQ-T-reduced (FCQ-T-r) includes 15 of the original FCQ-T's 39 items and has been used in several languages such as English, [17] German, [18] Portuguese, [19] French, [20] Persian, [21] Spanish, [22] Italian, [23] [24] and Persian. [25] The FCQ-T-r has been recommended as a measure in studies on weight loss and weight maintenance by the Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict Obesity Treatment (ADOPT) Core Measures Project, which selected measures that are reliable, valid, brief, publicly available, and easily administered and scored. [26] Maranhão and colleagues [27] suggested abbreviated versions using the Portuguese versions of the FCQs with eight items (abbreviated FCQ-T) and five items (abbreviated FCQ-S). Chocolate-specific versions in which the items specifically refer to craving for chocolate have been developed for the FCQ-T, FCQ-T-r, and FCQ-S. [28] [29]
The Food Craving Inventory (FCI) measures the frequency of cravings for specific foods over the past month. [30] Thus, the FCI can be used as an alternative to the FCQ-T for the assessment of food craving for different type of food groups. However, because the FCI names specific foods, it necessitates cultural adaptations when applied in different countries, which results in different versions of the FCI (i.e., different foods, number of items, and subscales). [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] Thus, the FCQ-T may be better suited than the FCI for cross-cultural studies. [36]
Similar to the FCQs, the Craving Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) has a scale for measuring craving as a trait (entitled "frequency form) and a scale for measuring craving as a state (entitled "strength form"). [37] The CEQ is particularly suited for assessing craving across different substances (including food) as a specific substance or food that the items refer to can be specified. Development of the CEQ was based on the rationale to create a measure that purely assesses the cognitive aspects of craving experiences (i.e., craving intensity, cognitive images, and intrusive thoughts about the substance) without confounding other aspects such as consumption behavior and outcome expectancies (i.e., aspects that are included in the FCQs). [37]
Other self-report questionnaires that were designed to specifically measure chocolate craving are the Attitudes to Chocolate Questionnaire [38] and the Orientation to Chocolate Questionnaire. [39]
Neophobia is the fear of anything new, especially a persistent and abnormal fear. In its milder form, it can manifest as the unwillingness to try new things or break from routine. In the context of children the term is generally used to indicate a tendency to reject unknown or novel foods. Food neophobia, as it may be referred to, is an important concern in pediatric psychology.
A food addiction or eating addiction is any behavioral addiction characterized primarily by the compulsive consumption of palatable and hyperpalatable food items. Such foods often have high sugar, fat, and salt contents, and markedly activate the reward system in humans and other animals. Those with eating addictions often overconsume such foods despite the adverse consequences associated with their overconsumption.
A food craving is an intense desire to consume a specific food, and is different from normal hunger. It may or may not be related to specific hunger, the drive to consume particular nutrients that is well-studied in animals. In studies of food cravings, chocolate and chocolate confectioneries almost always top the list of foods people say they crave; this craving is referred to as chocoholism. The craving of non-food items as food is called pica.
The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) is a widely used measure of impulsiveness. It includes 30 items that are scored to yield six first-order factors and three second-order factors.
Palatability is the hedonic reward provided by foods or fluids that are agreeable to the "palate", which often varies relative to the homeostatic satisfaction of nutritional and/or water needs. The palatability of a food or fluid, unlike its flavor or taste, varies with the state of an individual: it is lower after consumption and higher when deprived. It has increasingly been appreciated that this can create a hunger that is independent of homeostatic needs.
Research into food choice investigates how people select the food they eat. An interdisciplinary topic, food choice comprises psychological and sociological aspects, economic issues and sensory aspects.
Emotional eating, also known as stress eating and emotional overeating, is defined as the "propensity to eat in response to positive and negative emotions". While the term commonly refers to eating as a means of coping with negative emotions, it sometimes include eating for positive emotions, such as overeating when celebrating an event or to enhance an already good mood.
The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) is a 25-point questionnaire, based on DSM-IV codes for substance dependence criteria, to assess food addiction in individuals. The scale was released in 2009 by Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
Expected satiety is the amount of relief from hunger that is expected from a particular food. It is closely associated with expected satiation which refers to the immediate fullness that a food is expected to generate.
The psychology of eating meat is an area of study seeking to illuminate the confluence of morality, emotions, cognition, and personality characteristics in the phenomenon of the consumption of meat. Research into the psychological and cultural factors of meat-eating suggests correlations with masculinity, support for hierarchical values, and reduced openness to experience. Because meat eating is widely practiced but is sometimes associated with ambivalence, it has been used as a case study in moral psychology to illustrate theories of cognitive dissonance and moral disengagement. Research into the consumer psychology of meat is relevant to meat industry marketing, as well as for advocates of reduced meat consumption.
The Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (DTDD) is a brief 12-question personality inventory test to assess the possible presence of three co-morbid socially maladaptive, dark triad traits: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. The DTDD was developed to identify the dark triad traits among subclinical adult populations. It is a screening test. High scores on the DTDD do not necessary correlate with clinical diagnoses.
Grazing is a human eating pattern characterized as "the repetitive eating of small or modest amounts of food in an unplanned manner throughout a period of time, and not in response to hunger or satiety cues".
Suzanne Higgs is an English psychologist. She is a Professor in the Psychobiology of Appetite at the University of Birmingham and was editor-in-chief of the journal Appetite from 2012-2022.
Caroline Christine Horwath is a New Zealand nutritional scientist and professor in the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago.
Food psychology is the psychological study of how people choose the food they eat, along with food and eating behaviors. Food psychology is an applied psychology, using existing psychological methods and findings to understand food choice and eating behaviors. Factors studied by food psychology include food cravings, sensory experiences of food, perceptions of food security and food safety, price, available product information such as nutrition labeling and the purchasing environment. Food psychology also encompasses broader sociocultural factors such as cultural perspectives on food, public awareness of "what constitutes a sustainable diet", and food marketing including "food fraud" where ingredients are intentionally motivated for economic gain as opposed to nutritional value. These factors are considered to interact with each other along with an individual's history of food choices to form new food choices and eating behaviors.
Hyperpalatable food (HPF) combines high levels of fat, sugar, sodium, or carbohydrates to trigger the brain's reward system, encouraging excessive eating. The concept of hyperpalatability is foundational to ultra-processed foods, which are usually engineered to have enjoyable qualities of sweetness, saltiness, or richness. Hyperpalatable foods can stimulate the release of metabolic, stress, and appetite hormones that play a role in cravings and may interfere with the body's ability to regulate appetite and satiety.
Intuitive eating is an approach to eating that focuses on the body's response to cues of hunger and satisfaction. It aims to foster a positive relationship with food as opposed to pursuing "weight control". Additionally, intuitive eating aims to change users' views about dieting, health, and wellness, instilling a more holistic approach. It also helps to create a positive attitude and relationship towards food, physical activity, and the body.
The Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) is one of the most widely used measures for the assessment of night eating syndrome. The original NEQ was revised several times and its current version was published by Allison and colleagues in 2008. The NEQ has 14 items and responses are recorded on a five-point scale from 0 to 4 with each item having different response labels. Additional items for assessing perceived distress and functional impairment can be used but these are not included in the total score.
A variety of behaviors whereby people are highly selective in what they eat and do not eat are known as picky eating or selective eating. Selective eating is common in younger children and can also sometimes be seen in adults.
Miranda Mirosa is a New Zealand academic, and is a full professor in the Department of Food Science at the University of Otago, specialising in sustainability, food waste and upcycled food products. She is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology.
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