title: Gender differences in food craving among overweight and obese patients attending low energy diet therapy: a matched case-control study.
abstract: This case-control study examined gender differences in food craving among a sample of overweight and obese patients attending low energy diet therapy. To disentangle the specific role of gender from the role of confounders, we paired groups for BMI, age and severity of binge eating as assed by the Binge Eating Scale (BES). The participants were 73 pairs of patients who were attending low energy diet therapy. All the participants were administered the State and Trait Food Cravings Questionnaire, trait version (FCQ-T) and the BES. Female patients had higher mean scores on six out of nine dimensions of the FCQ-T. When controlling for the effect of other variables, obese and overweight female patients were 1.1 times more likely to report higher anticipation of relief of negative states and feelings from eating than their male pairs. Obese and overweight female patients experience more cravings for food than their male pairs despite comparable severity of binge eating and obesity suggesting the need for tailored interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Science, European University of Rome, Via degli Aldobrandeschi 190, 00163, Rome, Italy, imperatori.c@libero.it.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Imperatori
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Innamorati
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tamburello
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Continisio
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Contardi
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamburello
authors.forename: Mariantonietta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fabbricatore
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D066249:Craving; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
references.citation: J Reprod Med. 1982 Dec;27(12):721-4
references.pmid: 6891720
references.citation: Behav Res Ther. 2001 Aug;39(8):877-86
references.pmid: 11480829
references.citation: Physiol Behav. 2006 Apr 15;87(4):789-93
references.pmid: 16519909
references.citation: Appetite. 2004 Feb;42(1):119-21
references.pmid: 15036792
references.citation: J Nurs Scholarsh. 2009;41(2):115-23
references.pmid: 19538695
references.citation: Int J Obes (Lond). 2007 Nov;31(11):1722-30
references.pmid: 17579633
references.citation: JAMA. 2012 Feb 1;307(5):491-7
references.pmid: 22253363
references.citation: Appetite. 2009 Jun;52(3):588-594
references.pmid: 19501754
references.citation: Int J Eat Disord. 1997 Dec;22(4):403-9
references.pmid: 9356888
references.citation: Appetite. 2001 Apr;36(2):137-45
references.pmid: 11237349
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Jan 27;106(4):1249-54
references.pmid: 19164587
references.citation: Eat Behav. 2007 Apr;8(2):211-23
references.pmid: 17336791
references.citation: J Affect Disord. 1995 Jun 8;34(3):157-64
references.pmid: 7560543
references.citation: Int J Eat Disord. 2009 Jul;42(5):471-4
references.pmid: 19107833
references.citation: Int J Obes (Lond). 2011 Jan;35(1):109-14
references.pmid: 20531352
references.citation: Maturitas. 2011 Apr;68(4):342-5
references.pmid: 21376484
references.citation: Behav Res Ther. 2000 Nov;38(11):1125-38
references.pmid: 11060941
references.citation: J Psychoactive Drugs. 2012 Jan-Mar;44(1):56-63
references.pmid: 22641965
references.citation: JAMA Pediatr. 2013 Feb;167(2):149-55
references.pmid: 23229786
references.citation: Appetite. 2011 Dec;57(3):711-7
references.pmid: 21907742
references.citation: Health Psychol. 1991;10(2):133-42
references.pmid: 2055211
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 2007 Oct;191:351-2
references.pmid: 17906246
references.citation: Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1998 Apr;136(3):272-83
references.pmid: 9566813
references.citation: Appetite. 1999 Aug;33(1):61-70
references.pmid: 10447980
references.citation: Appetite. 1990 Dec;15(3):231-46
references.pmid: 2281953
references.citation: Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2010 Mar;26(2):165-9
references.pmid: 20042860
references.citation: Int J Eat Disord. 2001 Mar;29(2):195-204
references.pmid: 11429982
references.citation: Front Psychiatry. 2011 Nov 03;2:61
references.pmid: 22065960
references.citation: Appetite. 2009 Aug;53(1):1-8
references.pmid: 19500625
references.citation: Int J Eat Disord. 2001 Jan;29(1):17-22
references.pmid: 11135328
references.citation: Eat Behav. 2005 Jun;6(3):239-45
references.pmid: 15854870
references.citation: Diabetes Care. 2002 Nov;25(11):1992-8
references.pmid: 12401745
references.citation: Int J Eat Disord. 2010 Dec;43(8):732-6
references.pmid: 19950114
references.citation: Horm Behav. 2008 Jun;54(1):185-93
references.pmid: 18413151
references.citation: Psychol Rep. 1991 Oct;69(2):683-6
references.pmid: 1763177
references.citation: J Psychosom Res. 2000 Jun;48(6):555-60
references.pmid: 11033374
references.citation: Int J Eat Disord. 2012 Jul;45(5):695-703
references.pmid: 22331832
references.citation: Physiol Behav. 2007 Jul 24;91(4):449-58
references.pmid: 17543357
references.citation: Eat Behav. 2013 Jan;14(1):64-8
references.pmid: 23265404
references.citation: NCHS Data Brief. 2012 Jan;(82):1-8
references.pmid: 22617494
references.citation: Eat Behav. 2012 Aug;13(3):252-5
references.pmid: 22664405
references.citation: Appetite. 1997 Apr;28(2):103-13
references.pmid: 9158846
references.citation: Appetite. 2003 Feb;40(1):47-54
references.pmid: 12631504
references.citation: Behav Brain Res. 2013 Apr 15;243:91-6
references.pmid: 23261871
references.citation: Assessment. 2008 Sep;15(3):375-87
references.pmid: 18310596
references.citation: Res Nurs Health. 1996 Oct;19(5):389-98
references.pmid: 8848623
references.citation: Int J Eat Disord. 1997 Jan;21(1):49-54
references.pmid: 8986517
references.citation: Int J Eat Disord. 2013 Nov;46(7):729-36
references.pmid: 23625647
references.citation: CNS Spectr. 2009 Jul;14(7):372-83
references.pmid: 19773713
references.citation: Int J Eat Disord. 2002 Jan;31(1):63-70
references.pmid: 11835299
references.citation: Biol Sex Differ. 2012 Jun 07;3(1):14
references.pmid: 22676718
references.citation: Appetite. 1991 Dec;17(3):199-212
references.pmid: 1799282
references.citation: Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2000 Jan;24(1):38-48
references.pmid: 10702749
references.citation: Appetite. 2008 Sep;51(2):324-6
references.pmid: 18417253
references.citation: Int J Eat Disord. 2002 Dec;32(4):426-40
references.pmid: 12386907
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1991 Jul;110(1):86-108
references.pmid: 1891520
references.citation: Physiol Behav. 2011 Jul 25;104(1):149-56
references.pmid: 21557958
references.citation: J Psychosom Res. 2006 Mar;60(3):237-43
references.pmid: 16516654
references.citation: BMC Public Health. 2012 Sep 20;12:809
references.pmid: 22992241
references.citation: Eat Behav. 2007 Aug;8(3):374-81
references.pmid: 17606235
references.citation: J Abnorm Psychol. 2007 May;116(2):422-32
references.pmid: 17516772
references.citation: Addict Behav. 1982;7(1):47-55
references.pmid: 7080884
references.citation: Appetite. 1991 Dec;17(3):167-75
references.pmid: 1799279
references.citation: Obes Res. 2002 Feb;10(2):107-14
references.pmid: 11836456
references.citation: Appetite. 2009 Oct;53(2):256-9
references.pmid: 19595725
references.citation: Appetite. 2005 Oct;45(2):198-201
references.pmid: 15949869
references.citation: Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1994 Jun;89(6):376-81
references.pmid: 8085466
references.citation: Eat Behav. 2010 Apr;11(2):119-21
references.pmid: 20188296
references.citation: Eat Behav. 2008 Apr;9(2):170-80
references.pmid: 18329595