Food Craving Questionnaire (FCQ-T)
Background
The Food Craving Questionnaire (FCQ) is a set of self-report measures that assess a person's intense desire ('craving') for food in regard to its experienced frequency (psychological trait measure) and urgency (a physiological 'state' measure). The questionnaires were developed by Antonio Cepeda-Benito and colleagues in 2000 and are used to measure the intensity of cravings in relation to obesity and eating disorders (like binge eating disorder) as well as to evaluate treatment outcomes.
The original Food Craving Questionnaire consists of the FCQ-State (FCQ-S) that measure the current food cravings with 15 questions and the FCQ-Trait (FCQ-T) that assesses the general food cravings with 39 questions. A reduced FCQ-T version, the RCQ-T-reduced, that runs 15 questions instead of 39, was validated by Adrian Meule and colleagues in 2015.
Task Procedure: FCQ-S
The computerized Millisecond FCQ-S provides the option to specify a specific food craving (e.g. chocolate) or leave it general. For each of the 15 statements
(e.g. "I have an intense desire to eat [targetFoods]") participants are asked to indicate how much they agree "right now, at this very moment" by
selecting one of five possible answer options, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) - 5 (strongly agree). The fifteen questions cover
five subscales, with three questions each:
- Desire: Intense desire to eat (e.g. "I have an intense desire to eat [targetFoods].")
- Anticipation: Anticipation of positive reinforcement that may result from eating (e.g. "Eating [targetFoods] would make things seem just perfect.")
- Relief: Anticipation of relief from negative states and feelings as a result of eating (e.g. "If I ate something, I wouldn't feel so sluggish and lethargic.")
- Lack Of Control: Lack of control over eating (e.g. "My desire to eat [targetFoods] seems overpowering.")
- Hunger: Craving as a physiological state (e.g. "I am hungry.")
Task Procedure: FCQ-T
The FCQ-T presents 39 statements and participants are asked to indicate how frequently each of them would be true for them "in general". The statements (e.g. "Being with someone who is eating often makes me hungry.") come with 6 answer options, ranging from 1 (never) - 6 (always). The 39 statements cover nine subscales:
- Intentions To Consume: Having intentions and plans to consume food (3 questions)
- Anticipation: Anticipation of positive reinforcement that may result from eating (5 questions)
- Relief: Anticipation of relief from negative states and feelings as a result of eating (3 questions)
- Lack Of Control: Lack of Control over eating (6 questions)
- Preoccupation: Thoughts or preoccupation with food (7 questions)
- Hunger: Craving as a physiological state (4 questions)
- Emotions: Emotions that may be experienced before or during food cravings or eating (4 questions)
- Trigger: Cues That May Trigger Food Cravings (4 questions)
- Guilt: Guilt from cravings and/or for giving into them (3 questions)
Task Procedure: FCQ-T
The FCQ-T-reduced is similar to the longer FCQ-T, but only presents 15 statements that cover the following five subscales:
- Intentions To Consume: Having intentions and plans to consume food (2 questions)
- Lack Of Control: Lack of Control over eating (5 questions)
- Preoccupation: Thoughts or preoccupation with food (5 questions)
- Emotions: Emotions that may be experienced before or during food cravings or eating (2 questions)
- Trigger: Cues That May Trigger Food Cravings (1 question)
What it Measures
The Food Craving Questionnaires (FCQ) assesses food cravings as a momentary and typical desire.
Psychological domains
- Cognition: Food-related thoughts such as being preoccupied with
- Emotions: Food-related feeling such as shame, relief, guilt
Main Performance Metrics
- Total Score: Each FCQ provides subscale and total scores (sum of all response values)
Psychiatric Conditions
FCQ scores tends to be higher in the following patient groups:
- Eating Disorder
- Food Addiction
- Obesity
- Night Eating Syndrome (NES)
Test Variations
The state version Food Cravings Questionnaire (FCQ-S) with 15 items as designed by Cepeda-Benito et al (2000).
The original trait version of the Food Cravings Questionnaire (FCQ-T) with 39 items as designed by Cepeda-Benito et al (2000).
The reduced trait version Food Cravings Questionnaire (FCQ-T-R) with 15 items as designed by Meule et al (2014).
References
Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Food Craving Questionnaire (FCQ-T).